


Eddsworld Drabbles & One-Shots

by KZDipped



Category: Eddsworld - All Media Types
Genre: Blue Leader - Freeform, Chapter titles usually reference songs, Monster! Tom, More tags to be added, Mostly a lot of random ideas, Numero Uno, PowerEdd, Red Future, Red Leader, not really long enough for their own stories but I love them anyway, vent - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-24
Updated: 2018-05-15
Packaged: 2018-08-24 11:52:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 24
Words: 35,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8371309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KZDipped/pseuds/KZDipped
Summary: It's Edd's world, and none of these stories canonically take place in it.  A collection of random stories.Now Playing, "Au Revoir", a post-the End oneshot about Edd and Tom!Tom has some news to break to Edd.





	1. Brush With A Gun

Summoning another orb of radiation, Eduardo, aka Numero Uno, slammed it into his opponent, knocking him farther into the ground. “Any last words?” He asked, creating another for the final blow. 

“I-I…” Edd coughed, wiping blood away from his mouth. “I'm sor-“ 

Eduardo dropped the radiation, hitting Edd head on. “That’s right- Wait, what?” He looked down at Edd, but the young man was already unconscious, knocked out by the sheer energy of the blast. “What did you-“ A roar from behind attracted his attention; he flew out of the way as an enormous purple monster tried to swat him out of the air, giant claws just missing. 

“What the heck?!” He summoned an energy blast, but to his surprise the monster didn’t attack again, instead turning its attention to Edd. He thought for a moment Edd was a goner, he couldn’t defend himself against the beast; but rather than attack, the creature seemed distressed, leaning down close to Edd and snuffling at his face. Eduardo landed on the broken ground, climbing carefully toward the two. As he watched the monster, something seemed to click; he looked at its single void like eye, then back to where Matt was just now approaching the scene, with no sign of the blue-hoodied man who usually accompanied the group. 

The monster looked up as he came nearer, growling and moving to block his path toward Edd, but Eduardo raised his hands as a sign of peace. “I’m not going to touch him, I’m sorry.” The creature seemed surprised, but huffed and turned away, nudging Edd slightly in what looked like an attempt to wake him up. Eduardo continued, “He’ll be alright, just knocked him out. I’d recommend going somewhere to change back if you can though, I can hear sirens coming and I doubt they’d think you innocent.” 

Sirens did sound as though they were getting closer; the monster looked up, then at Eduardo, an unreadable expression on its face. Eduardo motioned for him to go, saying, “I’ll give you cover. Don’t question it.” He turned toward the oncoming police cars, then back to the monster. “No one hits my neighbour but me!” He shouted, emitting a huge energy blast directly between him and the beast, completely blocking it from view. 

It took almost a minute before the smoke cleared, and when it finally had Eduardo watched as Tom approached Matt, asking what happened and inciting Matt to act out the monster attack and prompt the nearby police officers to chase him. Tom watched for a moment, then approached Eduardo and Edd, pace quick but careful. “You done beating each other up yet?” He looked at Edd nervously, sliding down into the crater to his side. “Got a little carried away didn’t you?” 

Eduardo shrugged. “It’s not like he wasn’t fighting back.” 

“Still.” Tom picked Edd up, smiling softly as he snuggled closer to Tom in his sleep. “See ya around.” He began to walk away. 

“Tom.” 

Tom glanced back, expression uncaring but still hinting at anxiety. “What?” 

“Your secret’s safe with me.” 

Turning away, Tom didn’t answer for a moment, as if deciding whether to acknowledge this or not. “Thanks. But I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

Eduardo laughed. “Fair enough. Tell Edd I saved him from the monster though.” 

“I won’t, but alright. Have a good night, Numero Uno.”


	2. Blindness Could Be A Bit Of A Problem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom gets a phone call from his new boss.

Tom picked up his cell on the third ring, setting aside the dishes for now. “H’lo?” 

“Hey Tom.” It was Tord, making a phone call that had been due for about a week, he just hadn’t been sure how to approach it until now. “You busy?” 

“Nah.” Tom took a seat on the sofa, checking to make sure his apartment door was closed and he’d have at least warning if Edd or Matt burst in. “What’s up?” 

“So the medical records you submitted with your application…” 

“What about them?” 

“These say you’re going blind?” Tom didn’t answer, so Tord continued, “This one describes it as a form of cancer, but there’s another report here that doesn’t seem to know what to categorize it as.” Still silence from Tom. “Thoughts?” 

“So… Why is this an issue?” 

Tord actually laughed, amazed at Tom’s flippant attitude. “You’re applying to work for a military force, we generally only accept people in peak physical condition. Sight is kind of a necessity.” 

“It won’t be a problem, I can see fine.” 

“Really? How far can you see away from you right now?” 

There was a pause, as Tom turned his head. “Eh, ten feet? Twelve? To the end of the hall at least, that’s pretty good.” 

“That’s barely anything if you’re on a battlefield.” 

“Yeah well, wasn’t I going to be a special operative anyway? Specific missions, stuff like that?” 

“There’s no way you’ll never be put in a situation where you need to see more than that.” 

“So essentially, I’m not hired?” Tom laughed, although it sounded hollow. “You were the one who wanted me to apply.” 

“I didn’t say that.” 

“Then what are you suggesting?” 

Tord hesitated, biting his lip. “I might be able to make a device that will let you see properly again.” 

“Alright, I’m listening.” 

“More than likely though, if the device works you won’t be able to see without it. Like, at all.” 

Forgetting for a moment that Tord couldn’t see him, Tom shrugged. “I’m going to lose that anyway, what does it matter? I say give it a shot.” 

“There’s no guarantee it’ll work.” 

“It’s better than nothing, which is what I’ve got now.” 

Tord paused. “Alright. I’ll try. Otherwise, you’re in, you can move into base whenever you want. I assume you haven’t told Edd or Matt?” 

“Nope, I’ll come up with some excuse. Give me a week.” 

“No problem, that’s a delicate situation.” 

“Yeah, and I want to pull it off a little better than you did, no offence.” There was no mistaking the sarcasm in Tom’s tone. “I’ll call you before I leave, so your people don't just throw me out or something.” 

“Good plan. Talk to you then.” 

“Yep.” Tom hung up, tossing his phone to the side and letting out a sigh. He had no idea what he was gonna tell Edd. Matt would believe almost anything, but Edd was a little more discerning. Curse his ever-consistent concern! But already he had an idea, he’d just need to be careful with the presentation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was part of a longer story, but I accidentally deleted the first part, so unless I rewrite it this is probably all that's gonna be released :/  
> Thanks for reading!


	3. I don't even know what this was supposed to be just take it

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something I had written very shortly after joining the fandom, when I was just toying with the concept of Blue and Red Leaders.

Red Leader wandered through the cargo plane, assessing the situation still unfolding before him. Soldiers sat in small, subdued groups around the empty space in the hull, distributing basic first aid to those who needed it; unfortunately, rather a large number. Most looked up as their leader passed, shock and exhaustion obvious. He didn't make eye contact with them; keeping up his image was important. But somewhere deep down he regretted putting his subordinates in this position. 

One of his most trusted lieutenants, Paul Animere, stood and saluted ashes leader approached, pocketing a communicator as he did so. “Situation is about the same with group B sir.” 

“So failure then.” 

Paul shook his head. “They acquired their target, he’s in custody now but sounds more than willing to cooperate. However, they suffered more casualties than us, and injuries are extensive. Commander Edgesom himself…” 

A look of dismay crossed Tord’s face, but only for a moment. “What of him?” He asked coolly. 

“Tom- I mean, the commander took a hit to the face, he’s hurt pretty badly according to Lieutenant Stjerne. Stjerne thinks there’s almost no chance he’ll be able to see again.” 

To Paul’s surprise, the Norwegian took this news very calmly. “Was it just his eyes that were damaged? On his face, I mean.” 

“Er… I'd guess there'd be some minor scarring, but otherwise I don't think so.” 

“Alright, I think I have something for him then. He'll be fine. Probably.” He bit his lip unconsciously, glancing back at the wounded recruits. “Why couldn't anyone see we were heading into a trap?” 

“To be fair sir, the commander tried to point out the, um, ‘idiocy’ of the mission, but you dismissed his concerns.” 

“Yeah, well, the last time I listened to Tom, I ended up on a wild goose chase in Siberia for three weeks, only to find out it was a prank. So excuse me if I take anything he says with a grain of salt, especially considering his personal ties involved.” 

“I could say the same for you sir.” 

Before he could retort, a siren filled the air, signalling the plane’s occupants to its imminent descent. The leader decided to ignore his friend’s remark, instead choosing to address his soldiers as they began to gather. “Once we land, get everyone who needs medical attention to the infirmary. Everyone else, meet in the mess hall for debriefing asap.” 

With a mixture of nods and salutes, the recruits acknowledged their leader’s orders and readied to disembark. Red Leader shot an annoyed look at Paul, before taking his position at the front of the plane, ready to lead his soldiers home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you can tell what was going on congratulations, I barely know myself  
> Also featuring some of my (former) last name hcs for the crew


	4. Burn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A successful mission with Red Army and a failure for Tom

Pain had always been strange for Tom. He had certainly experienced his fair share of it over the years, with all the misadventures he and his friends had been thrown on. He’d noticed early on that his body didn’t deal with injuries the typical way; he definitely recovered faster, able to get up and run (quite handy), but in situations most people would go into shock over, he didn’t. The only times he ever really passed out were when he was drunk or hit in the head. Sometimes this was good, like when Tord had blown up the house on top of him; he had been able to pull himself up and keep fighting, teach that Norski a lesson. But it was times like this he wished he didn’t have this “gift”. 

He had had ten successful missions with RA already, after just two months with the revolutionary force; with a sarcastic smile, he decided to chalk this up as eleventh. Technically they did collect the objective after all. 

He let out a cough; his mouth filled with a metallic substance. He tried not to panic, it’s not like this was the first time he’d been shot. But he couldn’t deny he wasn’t doing well. As far as he could tell, there were two bullets lodged in his chest, and at least one of them had grazed his lungs, by the way he was struggling to breathe. On top of this, he had a raging headache behind his eyes that had been there a couple days but seemed multiplied in intensity on top of his current injury, turning the world around him into streaks of dull color. 

Sudden gunfire nearby his slumped position made him jolt up, only to let out a gasp and slide further down the wall. He didn’t think there had been any enemy soldiers left, definitely a bad sign for him. 

Someone moved into his blurred line of vision, pointing what Tom assumed was a gun in his direction but quickly dropping it to the side and kneeling beside him. Tom was confused at first, until he heard the newcomer start swearing in Norwegian. “H-hello to you too c-commie,” he muttered. 

“Helvete, Tom! What happened?” Tord was pulling back Tom’s jacket, trying to assess the wound but really only causing Tom more discomfort. 

“Stop-“ Tom pushed him back weakly. “I went for a walk i-in the park, what does it look like?” He could hear his heart pounding in his ears, he wished it wasn’t in such a hurry. His vision blurred further as Tord cut open his shirt; a fresh wave of pain coursed through him. Tord’s hand brushed against his chest, the cold metal like an electric shock to his already failing system. Tord said something, Tom thought in an apologetic tone, but the sentiment was lost in the searing pain now flooding up Tom’s midsection. Tom cried out- his chest was burning, he was burning, what had he done to cause this much torture?! It let up for just a second, allowing Tom a damaged breath before continuing on. 

In reality the burns Tord had inflicted only lasted a few seconds, just long enough for the wounds to stop bleeding, but Tom didn’t come to his senses until at least a minute later, chest still burning and sitting up slightly, Tord supporting his back with one hand and holding his gun with the other. “Can you walk?” 

“Mmgh…” Tom struggled to breathe again, adjusting to the new constant of pain. “C-can I walk?” He intended that to sound more sarcastic, but maybe the question was more accurate this way. 

Tord nodded in understanding, putting his gun on his back and slinging his remaining arm around Tom. He pulled the smaller man up, giving him a moment to catch his balance, then tried to take a step forward. Immediately Tom crumpled, unable to force his body to move even that small amount. With a grunt, Tord struggled to keep him upright; Tom’s feet finally found their place, Tom dissolving into a coughing fit and Tord watching anxiously for enemy troops.”Y-you should-“ 

“No,” Tord snapped, “you concentrate on standing up, I’ll get us out of here.” 

Tom didn’t protest, which almost worried Tord more than his usual self-destructive tendencies. He took another step, dragging Tom beside him. Tom was still somehow holding on to his gun; it hung loosely at his side, swaying back and forth with their awkward movement. 

“W-what did you do?” Tom muttered. 

“Cauterized the holes in your chest to stop the bleeding.” Tord replied, pulling them both forward further. “I’m surprised you didn’t pass out, most people do in my experience.” 

“I c-can’t, I dunno w-why.” Tom stumbled as they passed through a doorway, barely keeping his balance as they continued on. 

“Can’t?” Tord asked, but only received a pained head shake from his relatively new ally. They were near the main bay doors now, thank goodness; only a few more steps and they’d be in the clear. Most of the soldiers were already packed up, as soon as they got on the plane they’d all head back to the various bases. 

Sudden gunfire from behind startled the pair; a few of the last RA soldiers returning to the escape vehicles tailed by a group of enemy soldiers. The enemy stopped when they reached this wide open space, seeing Red Leader himself out in the open and defenceless. 

The Red Army recruits realized this at the same time; they quickly leapt in front of their line of fire, trying to take out as many of the attacking as they could. Meanwhile, Tord was trying to move faster, get to some kind of safe point; the planes weren’t an option at this point, there was too much open space between those and their current location. He spotted a set of crates up ahead; he dragged Tom behind them, ignoring Tom’s protests and reactions of pain. The Jehovah’s witness relatively safe now, he swung his gun off the strap, returning fire. 

Tom, meanwhile, was trying to pull himself up and provide some kind of aid, his body screaming in protest. As far as he could tell, the opposition far outnumbered their allies; for lack of better options, there was a large chance they were going to get massacred. 

The two sides exchanged fire; to the leader’s surprise (and against orders) more of the red troops returned from the vehicles that hadn’t taken off yet, and they finally overpowered the few remaining of the enemy. That is, until the last of them charged forward, somehow dodging the twenty-odd bullets aimed their way, and grabbed Tord, knocking his gun away and holding their own up to his head. “Everybody back down!” They screamed, getting the last few fighting’s attention. “Nobody move or your leader dies!” 

The remaining soldiers obeyed, setting down weapons and raising gloved hands in the air. Tord growled with frustration; the soldier holding him had wisely pinned his prosthetic, rendering the weapon useless. His soldiers were of course following protocol, but it was frustrating as hell that none of them could come up with a better plan. 

A sudden gunshot from behind made them both jump; Tord felt his captor tighten his grip, then go slack, all pressure gone. He shook off the dead weight, turning to watch them collapse to the warehouse floor, blood pouring out of their head. He whirled back to his soldiers, shouting, “Who fired?” There was a general murmur of confusion but gratitude; none of them had performed so well. They gathered themselves, hurrying back towards the planes before more troops could arrive; Tord hesitated a moment, before rushing back to the stack of crates. 

Two soldiers had made it there before him, finding the injured recruit themselves; one was boosting him up as Tord had done, the other picking up his gun from where it lay beside him. Tord saw with dismay that Tom was barely breathing, and one of his wounds seemed to have reopened from the amount of fresh blood on his hands. “Get him onto the first plane out of here, and immediately into sick bay,” Tord ordered, and the soldiers nodded, giving a salute before hurrying away. 

Tord followed, getting onto another transport and commanding those who remained to pull out. Of course the group responded, quickly and efficiently, and before long they would be home. But a single image haunted Tord’s mind; the killed soldier, and the smoking gun at Tom’s side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyone else subscribe to the hc that Tom can't go into shock?
> 
> This is a bit of a rambly mess, ah well :P


	5. Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tord is pretty terrible at self-care

The sun was just starting to set as the Red Leader finished addressing his troops and headed back to his office for paperwork, having just an hour before another mission. There were a suprising amount of files and forms to be filled out for the leader of an army, although Tord supposed he had signed up for this. Regardless, he was just a bit too tired today to have a good attitude about it, especially when his most annoying compatriot showed up not a moment after his own arrival. 

Tom let himself in, the blue-clad second-in-command fully aware he could come and go as he pleased. “Hey.” He took a seat across the desk, propping his legs up nonchalantly. 

“Yes, what is it Thomas.” Tord didn’t look up, sniffing slightly as he continued to write. 

“Just figured I’d drop by, let you know the next wave of recruits is due to start training tomorrow and you still haven’t assigned the mentors.” 

“Er, right, uhm…” Tord dropped his pen, sweeping a hand across his heavily styled hair and letting out a sigh. He had quite the headache, but the painkillers were sure to kick in soon. How long ago did he take those? The fact escaped him, and he let out another hum as he tried to remember what he was supposed to be doing… right, the mentors. “Take Dren and Rael from R5, and… Charles from B9.” He picked up his pen again and continued on down the paper, but when Tom didn’t answer him, Tord paused and glanced up at him. “What now?” 

Tom was studying him carefully, a thoughtful look on his face. “Are you feeling alright?” 

This caught Tord more than a little off guard, and he took a moment before replying, “Fine.” 

“Hmm…” Tom swung his legs down, leaning forward across the desk and getting comically close to Tord’s face. The lights from his visor were honestly hurting Tord’s eyes, and reflexively he leaned away, but not fast enough to avoid the clammy hand pressed against his forehead. “Thomas what the hell.” 

“You’ve got a fever,” Tom tsked, leaning back in his chair. “Did you plan on doing anything about that?” 

“I took some advil…” 

“And you’re staying back from the mission, right?” Tord didn’t reply, instead adding a signature to the current sheet before him. “ _Right?_ ” 

“No, I wasn’t planning to.” 

“Right, well, I’m gonna go ahead and take this one then, you stay here and get some rest.” 

“What, no! I’m perfectly fit to go, you don’t even know what to do-“ 

“Infiltrate the base, take out their surveillance and defences, and burn the whole shebang to the ground,” Tom recited. “You picked a fine team to go, they’re perfectly capable without you along to get in the way.” 

Tord stood up, ignoring the wave of dizziness that accompanied the movement. “You have no authority to keep me from going, I’ll-“ 

“You’ll stay here or I’ll tell Paul and Patryck.” 

Tord noticeably paled, even in his sick state. “You wouldn’t.” 

“Oh yes I would, and you know they’d keep you in bed for a week if they found out how ill you are. Makes staying in for a night sound pretty good, huh?” With a grin, Tom stood up and walked to the door, waving a hand in farewell. “I’ll come check in when we get back and let you know how it went, don’t worry. Get some rest.” He closed the door behind him, leaving Tord with a parting thought of contempt for his companion, mixed with just a touch of gratitude. As well as a horrid sore throat; when had that set in? He coughed slightly, trying to make the pain clear, but only succeeded in adding more discomfort. Adding that to his pounding head and blocked sinuses, maybe an early turn-in _was_ called for...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Threaten Tord with letting his overprotective parents know and he'll pretty much do anything.  
> And with this drabble, we've hit a thousand views! Thanks so much everyone, this is pretty cool :D   
> As usual, requests are open! If you have any ideas, (especially for bl and rl ;) ) let me know in the comments or on my tumblr!


	6. Dead!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt joins Red Army, with unforeseen consequences.

The day Matt enlisted with the Red Army was an unmemorable one. Or at least, it was to Tom. Stationed at a different base, he didn’t hear about the event until two days later, when Tord mentioned it to him. “What?!”

  
Tord glanced up at him from across the table; they were sitting in the cafeteria, going over the news from the various bases across Europe. He had mentioned as an aside Matt’s approaching him for a job. “What do you mean, what’s so shocking about that?”

  
“Matt, the Matt we’ve both known for years, can barely remember his own name Matt.” When Tord nodded in confirmation, Tom continued, “Why?”

  
“I imagine for the reason he told me, he needed a job. That, and there is some kind of lure to working with friends you haven’t seen for quite some time. I would have thought you’d be more excited to see him Thomas.”

  
“One, don’t call me that. And two, isn’t that a little suspicious? Neither of us have seen him for what, six years? And now he shows up out of nowhere?”

  
“Why is that so strange? You joined me after all.”

  
Tom’s robotic eyes rolled. “You and I both know that that was a very different set of circumstances.”

  
“Ah just relax! I’d be able to tell if he was lying, this is Matt we’re talking about. Now, about the strike on Ace One…” And just like that the conversation moved on, and the day became a normal one.

* * *

  
Tom wouldn’t meet Matt until two weeks later; he was walking down the hallway to some meeting or another, when a shrill voice behind him called, “Tom!!”

  
He turned, only to be crushed into a hug by the tall ginger. “Matt?” He mumbled, pushing himself free of the embrace. “It’s actually you!”

  
“Yeah!” The ginger had of course aged slightly, soft wrinkles starting to form in the corners of his eyes, and his hair perhaps starting to recede slightly. He still gave off the excited air of a five-year-old, and Tom couldn’t help but smile at the good memories that came with. “Tord finally let me come to this base to visit!”

  
“Oh really? He doesn’t usually move soldiers around like that.”

  
“Well my squad was supposed to be in some kind of attack tomorrow? So I think they’re all here too!” Matt hesitated, maybe finally taking in Tom’s appearance. “Your eyes are… cool! You can see with those?”

  
“Yeah, 20/20.” Tom began walking again, motioning for Matt to join him.

  
“That’s so neat! Y’know, I was so happy to hear you were working here too! I still thought you were dead, haha.”

  
Tom stiffened slightly, although Matt showed no change in cheerful manner. “Yeah, sorry about that. I guess you and Edd couldn’t have known, huh?”

  
“Nope!”

  
“…How is Edd doing, by the way?”

  
Matt shrugged, going a bit quiet. “I haven’t seen him for a couple years actually, I moved out of the apartments after I got my last job.”

  
“Ah yeah, that’s alright. Guess it didn’t work out for you?”

  
“No, not so well. But I’m here now! And everyone’s so nice, it’s been great getting to know everyone!”

  
“That’s good to hear Matt.” They reached the meeting room, and Tom nodded a goodbye. “See you around, I’m sure.”

  
“Of course! Bye Tom!” Matt hurried off again, and Tom moved on with his day. Normal day, out of the normal interaction, but still ultimately uneventful.

* * *

  
A couple weeks later, and Matt was still stationed at Tom’s base. Tord had been in and out of the the station more than usual as well, as they were located nearest to the current front lines. Tom saw them both on and off, not often at the same time and never for long; but it was certainly an interesting change. He had forgotten the unique dynamic Matt had brought to their group, of innocence but at the same time a strange quality of catching on to new concepts quickly. He was doing quite well in his assigned squad, which also came as a bit of a shock; on all their adventures, Matt had been the least likely to wield a weapon and when he did it wasn’t with any sort of skill. But his accuracy was quite good, even compared to the more experienced members of his group, and he followed orders quickly and to the point.

  
Tom tried not to get too involved with Matt and his work (the rumours about him and Tord were bad enough, he didn’t need another group trying to snap pictures of them together at any given moment) but he couldn’t say he didn’t appreciate his company when he came around. A shallow replacement of Edd but one nonetheless. It wasn’t until one day though, when passing through the surveillance quarter, that he walked in on Matt using one of the computers for something.

  
Stopping at the door, careful not to make a sound, Tom watched as Matt scanned through the files on the pc, finally selecting one and copying it to a device plugged into the computer. Removing the device as it finished and plugging it into what looked like a communications device, Matt stood in quiet for a few moments, before shutting off the computer and whirling around to hurry out. When he saw Tom leaning against the doorframe, he let out a startled squeak. “Ah, Tom! I was just, uhm,, checking something??”

  
Tom let out a slight laugh, coming nearer and reaching out for the com in Matt’s hand. “Relax, just let me see it.” Matt hesitated, before handing over the device. Tom turned it over in his hands, nodding at the make and design. It was very bootleg, just a bunch of parts assembled haphazardly really. Very like other pieces Tom had caught new recruits using. “So, relaying information to the rebels, huh?”

  
“T-Tom, it’s not what it looks like-“

  
Letting out a full out laugh, Tom clapped a hand on Matt’s shoulder (which turned out to be a more awkward move than not, Matt was almost a head taller than him) and replied, “Don’t worry, I’m not gonna tattle on you. Just try to be more careful about spying, huh? That was pretty obvious.”

  
Matt looked confused for a moment, then an expression of relief swept over his well-maintained face. “Yeah, yeah okay! Thanks Tom, I wasn’t sure if you’d understand!”

  
“Hey, I didn’t see anything,” Tom protested. “Just get back to wherever you were supposed to be, soldier!”

  
“Uh.. yes Tom! I mean sir!” Matt executed a sloppy salute, then dashed out of the room, shoving the com into his jacket. Tom watched him go, a feeling of satisfaction spreading through his chest. Of course Matt was with the rebels, that made too much sense. He would have had some training with them, that’s why he was so much better with a weapon than anticipated; and that would explain the sudden shift from not trying to contact Tord at all to enlisting with the army. Usually he shut down rebel operations when he saw them; but this would teach Tord a lesson for not listening to Tom in the first place. Besides, what was the worst Matt could do? Steal a couple files, maybe sabotage his squad’s maneuvers in some slight way? He was no harm at all.

  
Strange day, strange resolution. But in no way could these actions have predicted the day to come.

* * *

  
The base was pretty quiet over the next few weeks; the battles they were fighting nearby were resolved, in their favour, and the army marched on. Tord and Matt remained positioned at the base for the time being; Tord wrapping up assignments in the region, Matt’s squad permanently stationed there. Tom’s duties didn’t really change; look after his soldiers, take care of the new recruits and oversee their training, listen to Tord rant about whatever was pissing him off this week. Life around the station was settling into a comfortable new norm, things going surprisingly well for longer than usual. 

  
Today Tom was supposed to meet Tord for another one of their update sessions, catching up on the goings on of the army all over Europe; but as he approached the leader’s office today, he couldn’t help but feel as though something was wrong. It was definitely quieter than usual down this hallway; really at any given time at the base, there were soldiers running around every which way, even in the more classified areas. But now there were none, leaving Tom to himself in the quiet hall. He hurried on a little faster now, certainly eager to be rid of this eery feeling; until a gunshot rang out in the stillness, coupled by a shout and a scream.

  
The next few moments were a blur, Tom startled into a run towards his destination. He struggled with the door to the office, finding it locked, for some reason. Whipping out his blaster, he slammed the butt of the pistol into the lock as he pushed into the wood; the lock broke, and the door burst open. Tom stumbled into the room, taking in the strange sight before him; Matt, holding a gun, leaning over Tord, and Tord _lying on the ground bleeding out_.

  
Pushing Matt to the side, Tom dropped his own weapon and tried to assess what exactly had happened; Tord was unconscious, definitely unconscious, _please be unconscious_ ; his jacket was soaked through with blood across his left shoulder and spreading to his chest, from a bullet wound. “Matt, help me get him up, we need to get him to the med bay.” When Matt didn't reply, Tom turned and looked up, directly into the barrel of a gun. “Matt?”

  
Matt’s hand was shaking, and his face held an expression Tom had never seen on him before. It was cold, hard; he seemed distant from the actions he was now accomplishing. “Sorry Tom. It’s just my job.” His voice was quiet, no longer the cheery nostalgic pitch.

  
Tom was shocked, terrified if he was totally honest. In what world would Matt consider shooting two of the people he used to be closest to? And he had acted so perfectly, so much like his old self… and Tom had fallen for it. He glanced to the side, spotting his blaster just out of reach on the floor; he may not be able to get there in time. He looked back up at Matt, realizing he only had one chance at this. “Matt. You would shoot me?”

  
He could see the hesitation sweep across Matt, as he listened to Tom’s desperate voice, and perhaps remembered what they used to be. In the second perhaps that Matt wasn’t thinking clearly, Tom dived for his weapon. Latching onto it, he fired blind; Matt let out a screech, falling back as the pistol also fired its load. There was a crash as Matt fell and Tom scrambled up. A quick glance over the ginger showed the blast had caught him across the face, and Tom winced; that was going to leave a mark. But he was unconscious, and that had been the point.

  
A slight moan caught his attention; Tord. He slipped the blaster back into its holster, kneeling beside Tord again. Alright, definitely still alive then; thank god. But he wouldn’t be for long if he couldn’t get the commie to the sick bay in time. Slipping an arm under Tord’s uninjured side, Tom hoisted him up; hell he was heavy, this was going to be difficult. But with any luck he’d run into some recruits (not the shippers god knows they’d make a field day out of this) and they could help him out/take care of Matt.

  
A bad day, certainly.

* * *

  
Tord woke up the next day, in one of the private med rooms; the first thing he saw was his blue leader, curled up in a chair beside his bed and fast asleep. After letting him sleep a little longer (he was curled up like a cat _do you know how cute that is_ ) Tord woke him up and asked him what the hell had happened. He did remember Matt shooting him, but not what happened after. Tom filled him in, including the pieces he had had to deduce; Matt had been sent into the red army to spy, but as soon as he was able he was to kill Red Leader. It wasn’t hard to get a moment alone with him, especially after Tord had been so quick to trust him; but when he accidentally shot Tord in the shoulder, instead of somewhere actually lethal, he had panicked and hit him with his gun instead, knocking Tord out. That’s when Tom had entered, if he hadn’t come right then Matt more than likely would have finished the job. Tom had ordered Matt be locked up, after getting basic first aid for his injury; it appeared as though he would lose sight in his right eye, Tom had really done quite a number on him. “I don’t know what you want to do with him, figured you could make that call.”

  
Tord nodded. “I’ll think about it. I have a couple ideas, but it all depends on what I have of my old inventions still lying around.” They were silent for a moment; there was simply nothing either had to say. “…Thank you.”

  
Tom shrugged. “You’re welcome.”

  
“Oh and Tord?”

  
“Yeah?”

  
“I told you so.”

  
“Tom don’t you start-“

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's one particular piece of description in this that bugs me, if I can think how to fix it I will later  
> And thanks to the rebuildeddsworld discord, who came up with the bases of this fic; I just put it all together.


	7. Weak

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Request from anon on tumblr! Monster tom with angst and a side order of fluff at the end, enjoy!

Tom lay still on the cement. 

He could feel the way the asphalt had been laid down so roughly, as though no one cared about a possible future person having a quick rest on it. Ridges and cracks pressed against his back, and yet he couldn’t move. Not yet. 

It was always like this, this numbness, after he shifted. He couldn’t feel anything, yet he was so very aware of every emotion he was experiencing, every touch and sensation from every nerve. For instance, at the moment he was having a panic attack. He could tell by the way his thoughts rushed by, the tight sensation in his chest- plus, he was disoriented and upset, a usual lead-in to a good panic. 

Of course none of these seemed quite real yet, either. The numbness, of course. He couldn’t interact with any of these very real sensations, he was still too far away. He wondered how long it had been this time. Every time this happened, it seemed to last longer. Not just the recovery, but the shift itself. What time had it been when he lost his own consciousness to the creature? Morning, wasn’t it? And now, as he looked to the sky above his little patch of alley, he could see stars. A day then? Hopefully just one. 

Yes, every time he shifted, he seemed to be stuck as that- thing- for longer. The first time he had done so, way back in high school, it had only been for an hour. And to think, he had actually thought it cool. Of course he didn’t really have any idea of what was going on, he actually thought he was on something, just hallucinating. But he had taken the chance to confront several bullies in the establishment, and a sick kind of pleasure had come with seeing them as the ones running in terror. Of course, until he blacked out and woke up again, lying in the hallway in much the position he was in now, and listening to the sound of medical crews attending to the injured teens. 

He had been framed as a victim as well, knocked to the side by the rampaging beast; which he appreciated. Why had he shifted that day? He wasn’t exactly sure, perhaps stress mixed with a raging hormonal system. But that had been the first and it wouldn’t be the last. 

It was another two years until he shifted again, this time at least he had already been isolated. He trashed his apartment though, and he could honestly say the carnage scared him. He didn’t know why this was happening, why he had this creature that came from within. Of course he had some kind of connection in the present; it seemed strange his childhood was such a blur after all, with strange perceptions of who his parents were and their fate, as well as his own experience of being alone. Normal kids, they don’t grow up on their own, even if their birth family is gone. 

Around that time that he finally began to clearly remember Edd. He and the group he surrounded himself with had always been there, but experiences began to stick out. A zombie apocalypse (or two), clones, exploration of an Egyptian tomb; all these things were weird and strange and out of the normal. Like him. Maybe that’s why this was also his first clear experience of a home. 

The next shift he could remember was because of a fight. Bar fight he thinks; the details were fuzzy after the fact. But this time he had not been alone, there had been another and too much red had been present to watch as he destroyed the establishment, crashing through the place in a blind rage. 

He thought Tord had good intentions when he tried to ask Tom about this development; or maybe it was just because Tom was feeling insecure about this finally, worried and frightened. Turning into a monster out of anger, hurting people, this wasn’t actually a thing he wanted. So he let Tord keep him “under surveillance” for a time, try to figure out why Tom was like this, was so wrong. But Tord kept him captive more than anything, something Tom should have realized from the beginning was his only intention; he didn’t care for fixing Tom so much as using him as an experiment, nothing more. By the time Tom managed to work his way out, escape, any chance of _friendship_ between the two was long gone, something Edd had never been able to understand. 

Of course he had shifted while in Tord’s cage; a cage specifically built to keep him in. He remembered that shift more clearly than most of the others, but that was probably because there had been no real chaos to it, just the claustrophobia of being trapped in a space far too small. It was the first time he really experienced the act of shifting too; it didn’t feel as though his actual body changed at all,, more like something that came from within and covered his very human exterior, twisting into the creature that was well on its way to becoming a local legend. 

He’d shifted again years later, after Tord had left and been gone for years. Lots of weird stuff happened that day, with all the superpowers being handed out into far too irresponsible hands; and before he knew it he had been literally thrown across town. This time he learned he could shift after being exposed to pain; or maybe it was the radiation he had been exposed to, or just repressed emotion he had been shoving down for too long. This time he actively tried to fight the transformation, push it back down inside of him. And it hurt. It hurt more than impacting into concrete from fifty feet had. 

The only thing he could remember from the actual time he was shifted was Edd. Some kind of concern for him, some reason he had ended up back near the idiot superheroes by the time he came to again. He guessed his thought patterns were more simple when he was the monster, simple wants or fears or angers taking over. 

Since then he had shifted twice, including this one. He had also been ripped away from his apartment once, to his confusion; there was a sudden tugging from within his chest, and before he knew what had happened he had awoken on a forest floor, part of his right side trapped under a boulder and every bone screaming in protest. That had by far been the strangest of these experiences, he could only imagine he must have shifted, since he remembered nothing of the incident. But then again, here he was now, in a very similar situation. 

Tom could feel himself shaking, a soft shuddering taking over his nervous system. If he could he’d probably be crying. He was still just getting back feeling in his limbs though, just barely able to pull himself together enough to sit up. He rubbed a sweater sleeve against his face, grateful his clothes never seemed to take damage during these times. He couldn’t remember anything this time. Not a thing. Just the certainty he was about to lose it again, then waking up here. If these shifts kept getting worse like this… how long until he lost more than just the memories of his actions? 

The echos of the police still searching for the monster who had been terrorizing the street floated his way again; they had already passed him by, assuming him just a drunk passed out in the alley. A soft, wheezing chuckle escaped his lips; in many other circumstances that could be true. 

The stars glittering overhead attracted his attention once more, and he craned his neck back to watch them. Sirens were everywhere, in the stillness of this night it was all that could be heard. 

Actually scratch that; there was something else now, a chorus of shouting coming closer. On the second time around it could be made out as more of a call, from two people; third time, Tom heard the distinct voices. Edd and Matt. They were looking for him. Why? There was definitely concern there, in their tones; the question was, where they looking for him out of worry or fear? Did they know what he had done? 

For that matter, he still didn’t know what he had done. Nothing was a safe assumption at this point. He pulled himself up, standing now, and trying to decide whether to run or stay. Now that he was properly coming to his senses, his entire body ached; and he realized, he couldn’t go. He couldn’t leave behind the one place he was (hopefully) welcome and loved, not even for a day. He replied to the shout, in almost a whisper at first, but then growing to an audible cry. And as his friends found him, dashed into the alley where he had come back to himself once more, he turned and walked straight toward them. He stumbled into their arms, and everything was a mess of hoodies and questions and dull color. 

Tom couldn’t answer either of them, could only lean into their embrace and count on them to keep him up, keep him _here_. 

And they did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, to celebrate a couple milestones, I'm taking fic requests! If you want to see your own idea done, just send me a request here or on tumblr. Only rules are platonic prompts and teen level angst, otherwise go crazy! Thanks for reading!


	8. Welcome Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An old drabble, slice-of-life type piece I never finished...
> 
> Until now.

Edd stretched, hitting the switch on his tablet to power it down. Time to get some sleep, he was up wayyyy too late working on that animation. He got up and moved into the living room of his small apartment, surprised at the relative brightness in the room. Wasn’t it midnight, or something? Why was there so much daylight? He glanced into the kitchen, then frowned. Seven A.M. A new ‘late’ for him.

  
With a sigh he collapsed on the couch; if he tried to go to sleep now, it would only encourage his terrible sleep schedule. Besides, Matt and Tom would be up soon, and they agreed they were going to go to the mall today. He’d just take a little nap, get up in an hour or so…

  
“Should I turn on the TV?”

  
“No, you’ll just wake him up, stop shouting.”

  
“I’m not shouting!”

  
“You totally are. Shush.”

  
Edd blinked, listening to the conversation unfold with slight confusion. The clock on the cable box read 12:45, a lot later than he seemed to remember sitting down. Someone had put a blanket on top of him, and the smell of cooking bacon wafted in from the kitchen. He stood up, bringing the blanket with him, and wandered toward the kitchen.

  
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, this is my normal voice!”

  
“Your normal excited voice, now calm down.” Tom turned around as Edd walked in, shooting a glare at Matt. “Nevermind. Hey Edd.”

  
“Edd!” Matt exclaimed, jumping down from his seat on the counter. “How’re you feeling? Oh no, did I wake you up?”

  
“No, it’s fine Matt, I was supposed to get up ages ago anyway.” Edd shrugged, leaning against a cupboard. “What are you guys doing here?”

  
“We came to get you, but then you were really sound asleep!”

  
Tom rolled his eyes. “Yeah, not that you didn’t try to wake him up Matt. We figured you probably needed the rest, we’ll stick around the apartments today.”

  
“No, it’s okay, we were gonna go out-“

  
“How late did you go to bed?”

  
Edd stopped, embarrassed. “I… Didn’t?”

  
“Thought so.” Tom chuckled, taking the bacon off the stove. “You need to take it easy, we can go to the mall tomorrow.”

  
“I mean… Alright, I guess that might be a good idea.” Edd pulled out several plates, handing them to Tom. “Sorry, guys.”

  
“Don’t worry about it Edd!” Matt jumped onto the sofa, switching the TV on. “We can have a movie day!”

  
“Sounds like fun.” Edd helped Tom serve the food, then the pair joined Matt on the couch. “What is this?” He asked, pointing with his fork at the flashy cartoon playing.

  
“It’s a great show, it's all about this little orange guy’s adventures in space with his blue horsey thing-“

  
“And I've heard enough.” Tom grabbed the remote, flipping through channels to Matt’s protests. “Wait a sec-“ He flipped back a couple, pausing on a news channel.

  
“Woah…” The scene unfolding before them seemed surreal. It was a live feed of downtown London, complete with burning buildings and military-clad officers running around and shooting at similarly dressed soldiers, only in blue and red instead of green.

  
A reporter stepped on screen, hair and clothing whipping in the gusts of smoke. “I’m here on the scene as our country fights the vigilante force that calls themselves Red Army. Multiple civilian casualties have been reported, as well as losses on both sides. The enemy seems to be targeting this building for its historical significance, and no other reason. Experts speculate that they are attempting to make a statement, but at what cost.” A sudden commotion on the roof of the building caught the cameraman’s attention, and the shot panned to the burning roof, where an oddly familiar figure was standing with two men behind him. He waved to the camera, smirk twisting his scarred face, and raised a robotic hand in greeting. “Yes, we are getting reports that this is Red Leader himself, making a rare appearance.” The reporter walked back into the shot as it zoomed out, and in the background the leader could be seen jumping to an adjacent roof with his cohorts where a helicopter waited.

  
The news channel moved onto other topics, mostly discussing this recent attack and the rumours of a shadow government in Norway, but Tom switched it off. The trio sat in silence for a minute, all of them shocked at this recent development. Edd broke the silence first. “At least we know what that robot was for.”

  
“No, really?” Tom rolled his eyes. “I thought it was just a toy.”

  
“Is Todd gonna try to come back?” Matt looked a little startled, and neither of the others could blame him.

  
“Nah, I don’t think so.”

  
Tom looked at Edd. “What makes you say that? I wouldn’t put it past him to want revenge.”

  
“Well… He’s got more important stuff going on?” Edd shrugged. “I just have a feeling he’ll let us be.”

  
“I hope so.” Tom laughed. “Did you see that arm? Probably built it himself.”

  
“It’s kinda cool.”

  
“Heh, yeah. The kind of thing a military dictator would have, now he really suits the part.” Tom paused, thinking. “You know what Edd, I agree. I don’t want to worry about that commie, let’s just ignore it.”

  
“Really?” Edd looked at Tom in surprise. “I thought you’d be more upset about this.”

  
Tom shook his head. “I’m sick of him ruining our lives, I’m not going to give him the satisfaction of freaking out about it. If he gets in our way, then we teach him a lesson again, simple as that.”

  
Edd laughed. “I don’t think it would be that easy. He’s got an army.”

  
“And we have your extreme luck, my harpoon gun, and Matt’s…” Tom paused dramatically, until Matt punched him. “Hey! I was gonna say, Matt’s confidence.”

  
Matt nodded, placated for the time being. “It’s true I am quite impressive with that. But what if he breaks our homes again? I just finished putting up that tapestry of my face…”

  
“And although that would be no loss,” Edd answered, earning his own smack from Matt, “Tom’s right. Lets… lets keep going. And if Tord does come back…”

 

 

.

 

..

 

... 

  
Edd gasped for breath, his back pressed as far as he could against the stone wall behind him. He knew the other two were nearby, he knew _they_ could find him, it was only a matter of time. Clutching his wrist, the broken time device now dangling from it, he peered back around the alley’s corner. No sign of them. But then again, what need had they to hurry? They knew he was trapped, there was nowhere he could escape to. A swear left his mouth, as he sank back into his trenchcoat. His blaster was still tight in his grip, but could he use it now? Was he so desperate, so terribly at a loss for actions…

  
A sudden step at the mouth of the empty street, and Edd knew his time was up. He swung back around the corner, blaster ready, but stopped. He hadn’t been expecting _him_. The two surveyed each other carefully, waiting for the first action from their opponent.

  
Edd sighed. He raised his gun, levelling it at his opponent’s chest, watching as the man in red did the same, almost mirrored. “…let’s pick up where we left off.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The rest of the requests will be on their way soon!


	9. TWSOR- Breakdown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A drabble based off pardonmeforyelling's fic, The Wrong Side of Reality (https://archiveofourown.org/works/11851347/chapters/27592710). 
> 
> I wrote this at 2:30 in the morning so it's pretty well a mess, might make some edits later.

It was three weeks since the last time Tom had fallen ill. The fishing trip the three of them had been planning had been canceled, not that Edd was too worried about that. They’d end up going eventually. Today Tom seemed to have come down with something similar, his nose stuffed and complaining of a headache. He had gone up to bed early, like two in the afternoon early; but Edd didn’t protest, Tom looked _terrible_.

  
Edd peeked into Tom’s room around seven, to see if he was awake for dinner; no such conclusion though, as Tom was fast asleep, barely visible under the nest of blankets and pillows he had made. Edd may have snapped a few pics, but otherwise left the resting man alone.

  
No, it wasn’t until eleven that Edd finally felt something was wrong. He decided to go check on Tom again, having just seen Matt off to bed and about to go himself. As he approached Tom’s room though, he heard what was definitely a distraught voice, and definitely belonging to Tom. He pushed the door open softly, to see Tom sitting on the edge of his bed. He was very well tangled up in the blankets, and his hair was mussed more than usual. What immediately grabbed Edd’s attention though, was the tears dripping down his face.

  
Tom jerked up as Edd entered, watching him closely. “Edd?” His voice was drawn out, shaky- it was uncanny to hear such a tone of fear in the usually nonchalant male. “Please, you gotta, hnnph…” He slumped forward slightly, putting a hand to his head.

  
“Oh come on Tom, don’t tell me you’ve been drinking.” But Edd couldn’t see any bottles in the room; in fact, it looked cleaner than usual. He approached Tom slowly, leaning down next to him. He could see, even in the dim hallway light, that Tom looked extremely flushed. Putting his very limited health knowledge to the test, Edd held a hand to Tom’s forehead. Yes there was no doubt about it; Tom had a fever, a pretty high one too. He whined uncomfortably as Edd removed his hand, although he didn’t seem to have liked the contact any more. “You’re feverish Tom, did you know that?”

  
“Nno, I just, I don’t want…” Tom dragged a hand across his face roughly, only serving to smear tears and mucus across his face instead.

  
Edd tsked, kind of grossed out now. He brought the hem of Tom’s hoodie up to his face, helping him wipe off the various liquids. “You have to talk to me dude, I can’t make this better otherwise.” Tom still seemed incapable of clear speech, so Edd left the room to get him some tylenol. 

  
When he came back, cup and pills in hand, Tom seemed to have folded in on himself somewhat; his hands were clasped around his shins, while his knees had been brought up to hide his face. At least he had quieted down, Edd mused, but this still wasn’t altogether preferable. He tapped Tom’s shoulder, prompting him to emerge from hoodie land. “Here.” He pressed the pills into Tom’s hand, waiting until he was paying attention enough to grab the water without spilling it.

  
Tom glanced at the pills before taking them, but apparently he decided there was no concern to be laid there. He took them, before looking back to Edd. His face was still red, but at least he wasn’t crying so hard; only a few tears still streaked down his face. Edd let him compose himself, leaning back against the bed. “Just, don’t let me go again, please, I can’t k-keep…” His breaths quickened again, and he laid his head back down.

  
“What are you talking about?” Edd climbed up onto the bed now, rubbing Tom’s back gently. “You aren’t alone, me and Matt are right here, okay? You’re just super feverish, and tomorrow-“

  
“You don’t get it, you don’t know, it’s all just gonna start over and ‘m gonna have to do it all again and agai…”  He sobbed, burying his face back into the blue fabric surrounding him.  " 'N I don't even have a choice, it won' end, I can't make this stop, and you and them and _him-"_

Edd listened, continuing to gently comfort the male.  It was obviously some crazy fever dream Tom was dealing with, Matt always had nights like this when he was sick.  Since when he had become the mother of the group he did not know, but at least he was prepared for this.  Tom rambled on, drifting from silence to anguished outburst, but it wasn't long until his tylenol kicked in, and all of these turned into a sof murmur.  Edd honestly couldn't understand much of what he was saying, but that was kind of the nature of a fever- more than likely Tom had just had a nightmare, and his ill confusion blew everything out of proportion.

Tom eventually went quiet, rocked to sleep against Edd’s shoulder; Edd laid him back down on his bed gently, tucking him in.

He wondered if Tom was okay, of course, but he also wondered what had inspired such a passionate outburst; he had been around when Tom’s been sick before, fevers included, and never seen anything like that. But the next day Tom would be back to his uncaring self, if not a bit sniffly, and when Edd asked about the night prior Tom said he couldn’t remember.

  
It was two days until the next reset.


	10. Red Robot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red Army one-shot

The armies waiting on either side of the field lay in quiet, ready and watching for the first movement from either side. Red vs black, that of the new and old worlds, ready to charge at each other once again. As battles went in this war, this should be a small one, just a border skirmish really. But today, three major players on the Red side were present. Two of them were together at the moment, sent on a very particular job in a very particular way. Blue and Purple made their way across no man’s land to enemy territory, on their way to knock out communications across the negative troops.

  
“I’m just saying, if you heard the kinds of things they said you’d want to cry too!”

  
“It’s called locker room talk Matt, you’ll get used to it.” Tom stepped forward quickly, bringing up his blaster and eliminating a sentry.

  
“Right, well, if they’re all going to be so mean to each other I want no part of it!” Matt’s tone was indignant, but the soft smile on his face gave off his light-hearted intentions. “Besides, why do they need to talk while they-“

  
“Hey wait, did you hear that?”

  
Matt turned, watching as Tom scanned the area, his goggles tracking the landscape carefully. “Hear what?”

  
Tom hesitated, then shook his head. “Nothing I guess, must have just been feedback. Thought I heard someone call…”  
 

“Welp, you’ve finally lost it.”

  
Tom looked confused, maybe a little worried, until he saw the grin on Matt’s face. “Hah, yeah right. Finally snapped.”

  
“About time, after that last meeting with Red I figured you had maybe a day.”

  
Tom laughed, clasping Matt’s shoulder firmly. Matt pulled back, but to his surprise, Tom gasped in pain. Thinking back on it he probably should have tried to support Tom’s falling body, but in just a moment Tom had collapsed on the ground. “Tom!”

  
Tom, for the record, was doing his best to recover. He pushed himself up off the ground, at least to a sitting position. His hand was pressed to the center of his vest, pushing against something unseen. His breaths came hard, and although he was obviously in pain, he looked more confused than anything. Matt, after making sure there was no immediate danger, knelt beside him and gave him a once-over. “Are you shot?”

  
“I dunno, I’m not bleeding…” Tom had pulled his hand back from his chest, and was staring at the space he had previously assumed was broken. “I’m not, right? It feels like it, but..” He came to a stop, teeth gritting against another wave of pain.

  
“No you’re not, there’s no wound.” Matt had peeked around Tom’s back, making sure he hadn’t just been shot from behind, but there was nothing. He turned back around, offering his hand to him.

  
Tom accepted the help, teetering as he stood again. Matt watched him with as much worry as he dared show, wrapping his arm around Tom’s back. “Let’s get you back to command, get you properly checked out.”

  
Tom nodded, and it was his agreement more than anything else that was a red flag for his partner. They began to move back behind lines, pausing twice to wait for a fight nearby to die down. Tom didn’t simply recover in that time, although he certainly tired. Matt was supporting him more than he was walking on his own by the time they made it back to home base. “Medic!” He shouted, resting him inside one of the temporary shelters.

  
A nurse dashed over, but after a quick check over could not seem to find a problem. “I’d almost say it’s some kind of heart attack, but the pain described is exactly that of a bullet wound.”

  
“No, really?” Tom wheezed, but the nurse ignored his remark.

  
“I’m just really worried about some kind of bigger problem, we’re pretty far out from any actual medical facility in our control.”

  
Matt held up his hand, his radio was buzzing. “Hallo!” He said, then immediately cleared his throat when he realized it was Red Leader’s line. “Sorry sir-“

  
“Where are you and Blue? You’re supposed to be over enemy lines already.”

  
“Hey, you can tell Red to-“ Tom coughed, and Matt moved away both for his sake and Tom’s.

  
“Uh yes, about that, To-er, Blue had some kind of attack or something, we had to return to base.”

  
There was silence on the line for a moment, then Red responded. “Attack?”

  
“Yeah, well I mean he thought he was shot, but he isn’t, so-“

  
“I’m on my way.”

  
The line went dead, and Matt stared down at his com in confusion.

  
True to his word, Tord was there in just three minutes. During that time Tom had gone a little quieter, a little more docile to empowering the pain apparently travelling through his system. “What exactly happened?” Red asked, looking down at Tom’s relaxed stance.

  
“I snapped,” Tom muttered, and laughed to himself a bit. “Oh yeah, Matt said because you were so annoying-“ He tried to get up, but dropped into Matt’s waiting arms.  


“Quickly, lay him down.” Red knelt beside Blue, flipping his coat out of the way. Tom tried to sit up again, but Tord grabbed his wrist, and with just a touch Tom found he could no longer move his body below his neck.

  
“Red, what are you-“ Tom fell silent as Tord undid his shirt and vest, assuming he was also checking for a wound. Tord hesitated when Tom’s chest was exposed, making eye contact but briefly with his patient. Tom stared back up at him, confused; especially when Tord pressed a square of his chest down as though it was a button. As Tom and Matt watched, spellbound with shock, Tom’s upper chest opened into two panels, exposing wires and gears and metal bits that should never be in the human body.

  
Tom’s “eyes” widened, and he stared at the revelation before him. “What…” His body wasn’t letting him breathe faster, he couldn’t react (hyperventilate), and to be quite frank the pain in his chest had only gotten worse. He looked back up at Tord, who was checking lights and connections in his person, obviously trying to avoid contact with him. “What did… you…”  
Matt finished Tom’s sentence for him. “Red what did you do?!”

  
Tord finished whatever he was fiddling with, a resigned expression taking over his face. Tom looked him in the eye, he felt he was going to black out any second but he needed to know what was going on. “Tord?” He managed to stutter out.

  
Tord finally met his gaze, and Tom could see actual regret in his face. “I’m sorry.” It was clear and honest, and the shock Tom felt from it was the last experience before he passed out.

  
Matt watched as Tom’s goggles disconnected, and whatever tension still in his upper body relaxed, and Tord bowed his head in defeat. It was now that he punched Tord, sending the leader sprawling. “Answer me! What did you do to Tom?”

  
Tord didn’t speak, didn’t defend himself; it was only after he had stood up completely and pulled his jacket back around himself that he replied, “That’s not Tom. But I suspect Tom is dead.” And he turned around, and left the battlefield, ordering his plane to ready immediately.

* * *

 

Six hours later, Tord was standing in front of a small steel door, set into the side of a stone wall in a small mountain range. He punched a code in, sliding the door back with just enough time to step inside. Motion activated lights activated as the door shut, lighting his hurried walk toward a room marked 045. He stopped outside the door, hand raised to push it open; but he surveyed the frame first, seeing exactly what he had been looking for. The door had been forced open, by some kind of welding device. He let out a long breath, pushing forward into the room.

  
The space was small, only enough space for a chair, a computer screen and all the mechanical devices accompanying it. A figure slumped in the chair, wires and parts protruding from him and connecting to the chair and each other, lit only by the static playing on the screen before him. Tord circled around, facing him and taking in whatever damage had been done before there was a chance to hesitate. Sure enough, Tom had been killed through a bullet wound to the chest, just beside his heart.

He knew that, Red knew that. Not a shock. But there were more important questions at hand, one tell. He examined the transmitter visor around Tom’s face, this one larger and more securely placed that the one he had installed on the robot. It was fused onto the flesh of his cheeks and scalp, and if he had not been securely strapped in the chair the weight would have dragged his head to his chest. As it was, he hung limply in the restraints, mouth slack and form lifeless.

  
Tord snapped out of this spiralling thought pattern, instead focusing on the skin just beneath the goggles. Sure enough, there were burns along the flesh, coupled with scorch marks on the metal just above. Someone had tried to remove the machinery before shooting Tom. Someone had tried to save him. And when they couldn’t do that, they ended him.

  
Tord stood, stepping back from the body. Case closed. Although he didn’t think Edd had that in him. He exited the base, returning to the plane outside. Luckily this hideaway was somewhat protected- there were security measures in place. For instance, anyone who broke in would be covered in micro-tracking beads that were nearly imperceptible by most modern standards. Inside the plane he opened his private laptop, bringing up the tracking system of his own design. It would take only ten minutes to find the trackers, and from there he would not lose him. He would find Edd, he would smoke them out, and he would kill him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If it was hard to follow Tord kept Tom in a secret facility on extreme life support, while linking his mind to a robot to use in the field. Easy to replace if broken.  
> Tom doesn't know because programming in the goggles keeps him from questioning anything too hard- the robot body acts as close to a human one as possible.  
> When Tom's body was shot, because it's his mind working through the robot, Tom could feel the pain from his physical body even though there was nothing wrong with the robot. This was left in as a sort of failsafe, in case anything malfunctioned with the equipment there. No one was ever supposed to find Tom.


	11. An Execution

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An ending, one of many

Everything was coming to an end.

The two leaders stood on a raised platform, much like those used to give speechs or commands. Today it had an entirely different purpose. Bound with handcuffs, surrounded by soldiers in British military garb, Red and Blue were about to breathe their last.

A crowd stood before them, massive; Tom believed they were in one of Britain’s remaining parks, although the land was grey and desolate now. Only such a space could hold such a mob though. His ‘eyes’ scanned the crowd slowly, looking for any familiar faces. Certainly many of the people standing by were ex-Red Army soldiers, those who had been able to escape the collapsing force with code names and fake lives. They would do nothing now, as per protocol.

His gaze switched to the dull blue of the sky above; he knew that perhaps Tord wanted some kind of final chat, some sort of closure between them, but he could not think of a thing to say. Not now, after all these years. A chill breeze swept past them; both leaders had been left in their usual uniform, which enabled Red with a much warmer ensemble than Tom. Tom almost revelled in the cold though. He could feel every breath of air sweep through his shirt and move ever onward. That was a bit too poetic for his taste, but come on. He was about to die after all.

A judge or ruler or some kind of official had stepped forward, and Tom ripped his attention back to earth for her words. “Tord Larel, otherwise known as Red Leader, you have been charged, along with your subordinate, with many accounts of murder, manslaughter, war crimes, theft, and treason of the highest order. For this you have both been condemned to the death penalty.” She paused, and stepped back, allowing Tord to be in both the crowd’s sight and Tom’s. “Do you have any last words?”

Tom did dare to look at Tord now, knowing that this moment would be an interesting one certainly. To his credit, the leader of many years and people did not seem a bit discouraged by this development. He stood tall and proud, despite his bindings, and looked out over the crowd as though it was any other day back at home base, and he was simply giving the morning address. “I confessed guilty to all these crimes. That is because the accusations were true.”

He stopped for a dramatic moment, as though this would come as perhaps a shock. “Under this government, under this rule, I broke many laws. And I will agree, that my methods were despicable at the best of times- I did not try to hide that fact. But that is because I wanted all of you to see. This is what it takes to change the world, this is what they want! You follow their laws, you tell them they are correct. It is not a matter of agreeing with the laws, it is all about conforming to their broken system. I wanted to change the world. All I saw was broken, and it can’t be repaired!”

People were starting to murmur in the crowd, mixed reactions; Tom could see those holding them here on the stage looking to each other for directions. No one seemed to want to cut off this repertoire. “I will not deny I regret with how much force I had to act. But I do not regret the movement I inspired. To my coworkers, soldiers, friends- I give my thanks.”

Tom did not miss the slight glance thrown his way, just as he was sure Tord did not miss his nod in acknowledgement. That would do, for them. Tord moved forward suddenly, and those surrounding him startled; he had somehow managed to break a cuff, freeing his robot arm. He pumped it high into the air, shouting, “Fight hard, do not falter-!” The crowd screamed, almost masking the gunshot.

Tom had seen the bullet hit home, and now he stood alone, as the podium waited for the people to quiet. The woman, the enforcer, stood before him now, with the same words on her lips. “Thomas Ridge, Blue Leader, do you have any last words?”

There was a slight pause; Tom tried to form some kind of thought, something profound to say, but the only thing that occured to him was that he hoped neither of his old roommates were in the crowd. A smile graced his mouth: “Ditto.” And the world disappeared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a piece from my side tumblr @future--tom, if you like the sound of this I highly recommend you check it out!


	12. Walls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning for violence, blood and Red being a jerk

Red Leader was under a lot of stress.

  
Well, as ruler of most of the known world, anyone would feel as such; but it was today in particular that was beginning to feel a bit overkill. It didn’t help that any abnormal interactions as of late, confrontations that stir emotions and reactions the leader didn’t want to deal with, were immediately shoved down and suppressed. The weight in his chest was building, and Tord wasn’t sure he could deal with it for much longer.

  
So it was now, as he walked down the hall flanked by his highest ranked soldiers on their way to a meeting, he found he was not in the mood for pleasantries.

  
This is not always in one’s control, however. An old friend of his and recent recruit, Matt approached him suddenly as he came down an opposite hall. “Hey friend!” His tone, although a bit more subdued than perhaps a few years ago, still conveyed its bubbly tone. Somehow his stereotypical cheer had never been crushed in this war.

  
Tord didn’t reply, continuing on his way and hoping for the conversation’s quick end. Matt was not one to be deterred however, and he matched his pace with the leader’s. “Going to that big meeting with Brazil? I heard this is their surrender, that must feel awesome! If you get to make demands you should totally have them put a giant statue up, that would be hilarious.”

  
“Yes, and what would that be of?” Maybe if he entertained the ginger, this would be over soon. Tord rubbed a hand across his face, feeling the tension in his chest rise. He did not want to be here, he did not want to go to this meeting, and he certainly didn’t care to play games with an old acquaintance.

  
“Well I mean, you of course, or maybe one of those other dictators you love so much, I don’t remember his name but there was one in particular… Or y’know, maybe a soldier who’s been doing a very good job?” Matt grinned, probably only teasing.

  
Tord was suddenly reminded of a great many conversations much like this one, years ago, and a rush of emotion overwhelmed him for a moment. “No,” he managed to mutter gruffly, stepping up his pace.

  
Matt looked at him, a strange expression on his face, and one Tord didn’t care to name. “Are you alright Tord?”

  
Something snapped. There was no place for that brand of casual, not here not now not ever again. He deserved better than this, he is the leader of what will soon be the world and no one will ever call him that name again. He swung back with his metal arm, slamming the robotic fist into Matt’s perfect face.

  
Matt screamed, the sound coming out slightly distorted around the injury. He tried to back away, cradling his chin, but Tord grabbed onto his uniform, holding him in place while he swung up with his organic hand. Adrenaline was pounding through his veins, a euphoria uncontrollable. So it was extremely stupid of whoever now grabbed him from the side to do so.

  
Tord didn’t even look at this new assailant, didn’t hear their agitated words; he only redirected his fury, tackling the idiot to the ground. The victim fought back, fairly well all things considered; it took Red only a moment more to pin him, then continue his rage-induced abuse. All the anger he hadn’t let out in battle, all the stress and pain and regret and sadness and indignance- not one emotion was being spared in this violent exodus. A flash of blue was the only detail that caught his eye, but even that did not matter.

  
It wasn’t any of the screaming that snapped Tord back to himself; to be honest, he couldn’t think of what had. But suddenly he was staring down at the blood coating his fist, his hand gripping a soaked collar and neck, and his second-in-command’s broken face. His goggles were askew, and his cheek looked dented in; more than likely bones were broken, although there was no telling for sure through the red liquid seeping down. He was unconscious, at least.

  
There was a crowd standing around, obviously. Soldiers, who he could vaguely remember cheering or screaming or making some kind of noise, were now watching silently. He relaxed his hold on Tom, standing up slowly. He turned, stepping away from the body; to his surprise, he saw Matt being held back by two other soldiers of identical rank. His perfect jaw looked dislocated or broken from Tord’s initial hit, and he was staring in shock at Tom’s unmoving form.

  
“Red Leader sir, should we put them in a cell?”

  
Tord stopped. He stared at the recruit, who immediately shrunk back. He supposed the line of thought made sense, he had attacked both the men pretty viciously, and it could be assumed they had made themselves his enemies. He shook his head. “Get them to the medical bay, they are not to be considered prisoners or dangerous.”

  
His men nodded, most saluting. As Tord continues on his way, he hears someone shout for a stretcher.


	13. Soft

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is for mushroomminded's monster family au! It's definitely better with that context, I recommend you check it out!

Edd locked the door to the garage/lab, heading back into the house. He whistled a little tune under his breath; today had been a good day! He was all caught up on potion orders, Matt was on a play date with Paul and Patryck’s little demon bird, and now it was just him and Tom for the next couple hours. Actually, where was Tom? He had sent the little monster in to get a shower a while ago, but he hadn’t heard a peep out of him since. He peeked into his and Matt’s room (which was definitely due for a clean-up time again) but didn’t see him. The bathroom door was closed, but there was no telltale sound of water running down skin and tile. It could be he was just trying to avoid bathing again, goodness knows it takes forever to convince him to do so, but the monster kid was nearly nine, he needed to learn to do these kinds of things on his own. Edd knocked on the door. “Tom?” He laughed, “You can’t hide in there forever you know!”  
  
He could have sworn he heard a sharp gasp, but there was no clear response. A slight worry coming over him now, Edd said, “I’m going to come in, alright?” With no protest, he unlocked the door and entered.   
  
Tom was curled up against one of the cupboards under the sink, still with his clothes on. His head was hidden against his folded claws, and his tail wrapped around his folded legs. He only curled up tighter as Edd entered, letting out a soft growl that Edd recognized as out of fear. “Hey hey hey, what’s wrong?” Edd knelt before the monster, noting that he was less shifted than usual, also a bad sign.

Tom just shook his head, nestling deeper if possible. Edd ran a reassuring hand across his head, rumpling up the soft spikes of hair even more. “I need you to tell me what’s going on, right? If you don’t I can’t help you,” he murmured, sending just a touch of a good old calming spell through his fingertips.   
  
A shudder ran through Tom, he relaxed ever so slightly, and mumbled several words under his breath. The only word Edd caught was “hard”. “What’s hard, getting a shower? Or-“ Oh, wait. Edd remembered now, or at least this would make more sense for the severity of the situation; Tom used to refer to the lab where he had been experimented on as “hard”, since he didn’t understand the concept of cages or metal or needles. It was kind of a code that Edd had continued to use, it helped him figure out what Tom was scared of or upset about after a tantrum or a nightmare, mostly when he was younger. He hadn’t used it for quite a long time though, and hadn’t been expecting it to pop up again now. “The hard place?”  
  
Tom nodded, and Edd could hear a distinct sniffle from him; oh no, this was serious. He pulled his son into his lap, surprised at the lack of resistance. “Okay, alright. It’s okay.” Edd rocked him gently, mind racing. What could have set this off? He looked around the small bathroom, examining every corner for anything potentially triggering. The room had been redone only a couple weeks ago, nearly everything had had to be replaced after years of abuse, so it was true the space looked different, but he couldn’t think of what might be worse now. He looked down at Tom, who had unfolded enough to wrap his tail around his dad now, kneading his paws into his hoodie. “Tom, can you tell me what looks scary in here?”   
  
Tom’s eyes widened, letting a few more tears trickle out. He shook his head adamantly, another growl building in his throat, but Edd shushed him. “I’ll make it better if you do, you just have to tell me what to change!”  
  
Edd thought maybe he would have to try a different tactic, Tom didn’t respond for so long; but finally he mumbled, “Th’ light.”   
Edd glanced up, taking in the white bulb above. “What about it?”  
  
“Uhm.. it’s white.”  
  
Ah, now that made sense! The light was yellow before, the bulb had been replaced just two days ago after being accidentally smashed by a bat not watching his flight patterns. Setting Tom back down on the floor, Edd made a show of climbing up onto the counter, kneeling against the sink and reaching as hiiiigh as he could to touch the light. Tom watched, as with Edd’s touch the light changed to a warm yellow shade.   
  
Edd jumped back off the counter, landing carefully beside Tom. “What next?” He was sure there had been something else, Tom very rarely was terrified like this these days, it would have taken a combination of scenarios.   
  
“The walls are shiny now.” Tom was opening up finally, and he pointed a claw at the shower. Edd pulled back the curtain, nodding at the chrome-style tiling. That definitely fit a typical description of a lab, he should have thought about that when picking it out. He thought for a moment, remembering the exact kind of spell he wanted to perform; with a wave of his hand and a few mumbled words, he covered the tile’s surface with a pretty light-blue pattern, with soft green speckles across it.   
Tom let out a soft gasp, obviously happier now; he loved watching Edd perform magic. He stood up and wandered closer, hooking one paw into Edd’s pocket. Edd tapped the shower curtain for good measure, turning it a gentle purple to match. These were just glamours, but he’d get some help to make the change permanent asap. “There, is that better?”  
  
Tom nodded with a toothy smile. “That’s pretty.”  
  
“Yes it is!” Edd sat on the bathtub’s edge, pulling Tom into his lap with some effort (he was no small child anymore). “Was there anything else?”  
  
Tom didn’t respond at first, rubbing his face and eyes furiously to get rid of any trace of his tears moments before. “You weren’t here,” he finally mumbled, looking up at Edd with wide eyes.  
  
“Well I’m here now right! And I’ll always be right here with you, whenever you need me!” Edd grinned, trying to mask his own teary eyes. “Now come on, I think you can go without a bath for a little longer. You want a snack?”  
  
“Yeah, and cartoons?”  
  
“Of course! That goes without saying.” Edd grabbed Tom’s hand, letting him slide off his lap and lead him out of the room. He flicked the light off on the way out, and the pair set out together on a quest for sandwiches of the utmost tastiness.  



	14. Forgettable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Written for @future--tom  
> Tom's goggles have a few side effects

Matt tapped his fingers against the counter gently, watching the coffee drip into the waiting mug. A quiet morning at home, a shift at work this afternoon, and he was feeling pretty good about it all. Mug filled, he took a careful sip; Tom had yet to wake up, but it was only nine and they did not have many mornings to sleep in. It wouldn’t hurt to let him have another hour.

  
A mumbled cry from the next room shook him from this reverie; perhaps Tom was awake after all. That sounded more distressed than a normal wake up though. Matt set down the coffee, making his way to Tom’s bedroom (only a few steps across their small apartment). He opened the door, then, remembering why a certain caution should be taken, entered slowly. “Tom?”

  
The shorter man was sitting up in bed, hair a rumpled mess and t-shirt askew on his shoulders. His hands were clutching either side of the blankets around him, dropping when he saw Matt enter. The electric visor he wore brightened slightly, and Matt recognized the reaction as one of fear. Tom did not recognize Matt. He let out a soft breath, putting on a gentle smile. “Hey Tom.”

  
Tom’s shoulders shook, and his hands braced against the sheets beneath him. “Who are you, where am I?” His eyes darted from one side to the other, consistently ending up back on Matt. “I said who are you?!” Tom spoke with a desperate tone, portraying just how disoriented he felt.

  
“Shh Tom it’s alright, it’s just me.” Matt approached him slowly, noting his electronic eyes widening with every step he took. “I’m your friend right? It’s okay, you’re safe.”

  
“No no stop, please just tell me where I am!” Tom had pushed himself as far back as he could, shrinking away from Matt.

  
Matt only sighed, before murmuring, “Just a second Tom, you’ll be back in a moment.” He had to actually pin Tom to some extent, blocking his arms from pushing him away with one of his own, while the other hand reached to the side of his goggles and flicked the biggest switch. He waited thirty seconds, watching as all the tension released from Tom’s body and he slumped down against the headboard. This had happened before, and more than likely this wouldn’t be the last instance, Matt mused. This was just a side effect of his new “eyes”. Whoever had installed these goggles had connected the device to far more than just Tom’s optic nerves, he got random flashes of memory loss every now and again. Not to mention, just hitting the power button sent him completely unconscious.

  
He took a pin from the side of his coat (a patch he had been needing to mend but was glad he had not yet for this) and notched it into a tiny hole in the goggles. He pressed until he heard the button inside click down, then released it, putting the needle away and watching carefully in case something else went wrong during reset. This was the small bit of maintenance he knew how to do on the strange eyepiece, anything further and he was completely lost. Of course he had a number to call if things ever got really bad, that was where he had learned this tip in the first place. But he never wanted it to get to that point, Tom had spent six months at whatever facility created these last time and Matt did not want to lose him for that long again.

  
The glasses turned back on now, displaying a soft green warm-up glow, then switching to closed green lines. His breathing was slow, steady, and Matt breathed his own soft sigh. Another minute or so. The last year had been hard for them, each getting used to each other’s company, and only each other. They were partners in the local police force now, quite good actually. Tom’s severe nature and Matt’s more gentle side complemented each other well. Of course they were under the Red Army’s new reign, and that was definitely different than the old world’s system, but all in all they had good jobs, they were lucky. Many other people at the moment could not say the same.

  
Tom blinked awake, sucking in a sudden breath. He looked up at Matt, his face falling gently. “It happened again, didn’t it.” Matt nodded, and Tom sighed. “That’s two in the last month, I can’t risk this happening in the field. I might have to go get maintenance done.”

  
Biting his lip anxiously, Matt didn’t respond. “If you think you have to, of course. But I’ll be here for you either way.”  
Hesitation graced Tom’s features a moment; then he smiled. “Thanks Matt. Let’s not worry about it today though huh? I’m starving, you want to go grab a pizza?”

  
“Sure!” The severity of the situation just moments before vanished. Matt waited patiently for Tom to climb off the bed and throw a jacket on, and the pair set out into the city.


	15. Gone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red missed something important.  
> A twist on an old request.

Red bustled down the hallway, flanked by several attendees and some of his higher-ups. “Tell league two they can have the extra men, but they will need to check with me before moving forward in the operation,” he addressed one follower, who nodded and hurried off. “And you stay on top of that team, I want info as to what exactly they need the added numbers for.” He waved another soldier away, then turned to the man on his right, Patryck. “About a million things to do today and I have no idea where to start,” he muttered, prompting a laugh from his advisor.

  
“Well you’re doing a good job of it anyway. One crisis at a time, right?”

  
Tord nodded, turning down another smaller hallway. “That reminds me, have Blue switched to base three would you? I think they could use the extra presence there, not to mention I’m sure he’s getting sick of living on a border line.”

  
“Blue, sir?”

  
“Yes Pat, Tom? You know who he is, it hasn’t been that long since you last met.” Another attendee held a paper out to Tord, which he took and signed quickly, taking barely a moment to scan its contents.

  
“Yes but Red- Tord.” Patryck turned, cutting off the leader’s hurried step. He glanced up at him in annoyance, but Patryck continued, “He died three weeks ago.”

  
Tord did not respond for a good several seconds, brow furrowed and reading Patryck’s face carefully. “What are you talking about.”

  
“He got killed on the west front, I’m sure you were informed-“

  
“I’m sure I wasn’t, I’d remember something that critical.”

  
Those still waiting for Red’s attention were watching this exchange curiously, but with a quick glare shot over Tord’s shoulder Patryck dispelled them. He turned back to Tord, saddened by his look of disbelief. “There was an announcement to the army even, it was very public. I’m not sure how you missed it but I’m sorry.”

  
Tord stared at him, perhaps a slight anger beginning to show. “I want all the details sent to me, now. This is something that should have been brought to me directly.” He pushed past Patryck, setting off down the corridor to his office.

  
“Red Leader, wait a moment, please?”

  
Tord paused, but didn’t turn around. Patryck said, “I am sorry. If I had any idea you didn’t know, I would have come to you. But please, don’t shut down. Not like with Edd.”

  
He waited a moment, but Patryck added no further comment; that seemed to be enough. He continued to his office, finally disappearing from Patryck’s sight; and he would stay there for the remainder of the day.

* * *

Three days later the Red Army made an advance none like the world had seen thus far. There was no more mercy for the western side of the continent, not a single resource that could be spared was held back. Only those soldiers who surrendered were taken prisoner, the rest, regardless of rank, were killed. It was as though what little restraint Red Leader had been known to show had disappeared.

  
Several smaller countries surrendered, the rest fought on; but in a matter of months there was no more resistance on the continent. More than half of the world was red now, the rest a dull gray of wartimes; and of course, the dull blue of an ocean, a void undisturbed by the chaos above.


	16. Whatever You Need

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A universe.
> 
> M!Tom, Red Leader, second-in-command au

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A special-length chapter to commemorate 2000 views!

It was an interesting day that found Tom entering a Red Army base. He wasn’t sure if he was even going to be let inside, but to his surprise the guards, after being told he wanted an audience with Red Leader, simply radioed in and told him to wait inside for his appointment. Obviously there was no one looking out for him in particular, perhaps Tord had never told them who caused his crash and burns. This may be for the best though, otherwise he may have just been arrested instead.  
  
It wasn’t five minutes until he was told to follow a soldier into the grey stone building, weaving in and out of well-lit hallways. He was purposefully being rushed through, he could tell, no doubt so he could not retain the buildings layout; but they needn’t have worried, he couldn’t have if he tried. They finally came to a closed office door, emblazoned with only the army’s logo on its front. Tom rolled his eyes at the sight. The soldier knocked on the door, declaring their presence: after a brief moment’s pause, an echoing “come in” granted their access. The soldier opened the door, ushering Tom inside and closing it behind him.  
  
The room was dimly lit, only making it harder for Tom to make out Tord’s figure behind the desk. Still, he strode forward with confidence, stopping just before the wood surface. “I need help.”  
  
A sharp laugh broke the strained atmosphere, as Tord shifted in his chair to look up at Tom better. “Oh really? And you’ve come to me for it? I must say I’m surprised.”  
  
“Believe me, you were the last option on my list.”  
  
“And yet, here you are. So it must be some assistance you seek. Finally been kicked out of Edd’s open arms? Or no wait, trouble with the law? Your crippling alcohol addiction alone must have-“  
  
“I’m blind.”  
  
This was enough to make Tord stop. He steepled his fingers slowly, a soft “oh” escaping his lips. Tom continued, “Well, nearly legally blind, but that’s not what matters. I’m going to lose my sight, I don’t want to, and you are the last person who could possibly fix this.”  
  
“And what makes you think I could?”  
  
“You made yourself that arm didn’t you? And I’ve heard rumours you’ve been working on other robotic alterations, consider this a challenge.” Tom hoped this didn’t come off as too specific; yes, technically he was using the information he had gained from his future self to influence the present, but paradoxes could not be that easy to create.  
  
Tord hummed softly under his breath, Tom could tell he had grabbed his attention. “If I were to help you, and I’m not saying that I can, you will have to repay me…”  
  
Ah yes, this oh so pleasant part of the conversation. Tom had been expecting this, but he was not looking forward to the negotiations. “What do you need me to do?”  
  
Tord stood, beginning to pace in that overdramatic way he had. Tom thought he felt it gave him more power. “I want you to work for me, as soon as this issue is resolved. Regular soldier, you go through training like everyone else and fight for my cause. You can’t do anything to sabotage my army, and you must work as hard as everyone else, or I will take my solution away.”  
  
Tom thought for a moment, before agreeing. “Deal.” He had been expecting worse honestly, and for now this would work.  
  
Tord raised a hand, as if asking for attention, and said, “I’m not done. There are a few other conditions to clarify first. You will not have contact with Edd or Matt during this time.”  
  
“I already don’t, keep going.”  
  
Tord shot an interested look Tom’s way, but continued, “If I ask you to use your abilities, you will have to.”  
  
Tom glared at Tord, both angry at even the mention and unwilling to ask for unnecessary clarification. But Tord’s expression stayed cool, and Tom took a deep breath before continuing, “Once a year-“  
  
“No. When I ask you.”  
  
“I won’t always be able to."  
  
“You may have to prove that for me, but we can discuss that later.” He stepped a little faster now, and Tom watched, glowering. “Finally, if I give you an order you will follow it, no questions asked. The past aside, you will be one of my men; and I will expect no less of you.”  
  
“Fine. I agree to your terms, on the condition that you will fix my sight.” Tom held out a hand to seal the deal.  
  
Tord grinned, looping around from his pacing and clasping Tom’s hand tightly. His metal hand was strangely warm. “Oh don’t worry about that, now I have motivation! Your new eyes will be finished asap. In the meantime, I’ll have you set up in a room here, and you can begin studying up on the army and its practices.” He ushered Tom out of the room, smile still wide on his face, and sent him off with the soldier once more to find these lodgings.

 

  
True to his word, Tord did finish the goggles in what was record time for one of his projects; he boasted later about the science really being quite simple, he was unsure why those scientists and doctors Tom had spoken to first had had such difficulty. The device was worn just like goggles, and worked through electronic signals to a microchip surgically implanted in the brain to communicate sight. Tom had been more than a little nervous about that operation, but it went off very well and inspired what may have been called a slight trust in the leader he had hated for so many years. Of course this also meant he had to begin serving in the Red Army, so the general dislike for Red was still clear.

That to be said, life in the military unit was not all terrible. Turned out the daily routine and tasks were quite good to counter Tom’s usual self-destructive tendencies, and he felt better in multiple ways for it. His captain was surprisingly chill, and his squadmates unconcerned with his personal life. All in all he could not have hoped for much better. Plus he could see. That was the best part.  
  
One surprising point had been Tord; he had expected, especially given the whole contract they had drawn up, that Tord would have been insufferable to him for the foreseeable future; but he had been surprisingly civil. Not even ignoring him, just… normal? If they happened upon each other, he would say hello; if they were in a group, and Tord was chatting with some other soldiers, he would often bring Tom into the conversation. Many people knew they had a history together, no details thankfully, but it surprised Tom that Tord didn’t try to hide it. As a leader he sure was casual. This was unsettling, but not altogether bad, certainly.  
  
His first mission in the field was a big one; it was a trip behind enemy lines, breaking up a concentrated military division. He thought, perhaps he’d have an issue with shooting the enemy, especially as he wasn’t fighting for a cause he particularly believed in; but it was easy. Way too easy. He did well. It didn’t hurt that he sort of had superhuman senses and capabilities, that piece was perhaps unfair.  
  
Regardless he earned the respect of his peers, and it was several days later that Tom realized he was one of them now. This “Red Army” was his home, for as long as his future lasted.

 

  
“I want you to do something for me.”  
  
Tom looked up; Tord had, for some reason or another, come to visit him in his room. Tom had a private room, a rarity in the army; but it became a necessity after Tom accidentally half-shifted in the middle of the night and startled a roommate. There were plenty of rumours about that, but at some point it couldn’t be helped. “Like what?”

“There’s a general, you’ve probably heard of him, Dereck? Who needs to be taught a lesson, and unfortunately I can’t give it to him.”  
  
This was sounding sketchier by the moment. Was he asking him to assassinate someone? “What do you need me to do?”  
Tord let out a long breath, rifling a hand through his hair. “You know how we used to hide all Edd’s coke after he wouldn’t let us throw a party in the living room? Or that time we painted over all of Matt’s mirrors to make him think he was-“  
  
“You’re kidding. You want to pull a prank on this guy?”  
  
Tord looked almost embarrassed. “Well yes, if you want to put it that way- I can’t do it myself, it would be unprofessional, but soldiers pulling pranks on each other is not unheard of, and I would cover for you if you need. I just need you to be the one caught on camera.”  
  
“You want me to take the fall for a prank-“  
  
“Oh come on! You won’t even get in trouble, if you’re worried about that, I have everything ready. It’ll be great.” Tord stared at Tom, with a mischievous expression the like of which Tom hadn’t seen for years. And Tom found, despite his better judgement, that he was nodding in agreement. “Fantastic! Here’s what I’m thinking.”  
  
So Tom found himself picking a lock to a side door inside Dereck’s office. He held several supplies in a bag to his side, customized devices by Tord for optimal pranking. Tord had filled him in on the whole plan, and was waiting just out of sight, to join Tom when he was finished. According to the leader Dereck would be back in ten minutes, so time was of the essence.  
  
He finally got the lock (Tord had insisted on not giving him a key, “because it would be less suspicious”) and entered the room, closing the door softly behind him. The office was a plain one, a desk and a bookshelf and not much else. Tom stepped around the desk, pushing the rolling chair out of the way and kneeling beside it. He pulled a small disc out of his bag, a custom invention; Tord said when it was triggered it would release a porous foam that would quickly fill the room and probably spill out of it. It was created to get into anything and everything, sabotaging much of the general’s work. Tom wasn’t sure what Dereck had done to get on Tord’s bad side, but it must have been something petty to warrant this response.  
  
He set the trap underneath the desk, and, taking a slight wire from the bag, ran it tightly to the bottom of the desk’s surface. Connecting the other end to the trap, he flicked one more switch to prime it; now it would be triggered by anything touching the top of the desk, causing a vibration. He stood, darting back to the door and closing it tightly behind him.  
  
There was a tap on his shoulder suddenly, and Tom jumped, only to have the hand clamp down and a hurried shush coupled with a chuckle. Tord turned him around and motioned him to sit- it would only be a moment until Dereck came back. “Now, we wait.”  
  
There was a breathless pause; they both heard Dereck approach, the main door to the office slam behind him. Tom tried to peer through the gap in the door, but either his goggles were too big or the crack was too small, he couldn’t see a thing. Tord flapped a hand at him, warning him to stay still. There was a slight tap, of something being set on the desk; then in an explosion of startled shout and poof of smoke, the office behind burst into chaos.  
  
Tord laughed, dragging Tom up by the arm and dashing off down the hall. By the time they were both a safe distance away, they were breathless and coughing with chuckles. “I don’t think anything in there could have survived? All his files and stuff must be gone!”  
  
“He deserves it! Ugh I can’t even imagine his face, I’ve been wanting to pull something on him for so long! That ought to take him down a few pegs.” Tord heaved out a long sigh, contented. “Thanks Tom, that was great.”  
  
“Uh… no problem. You sure he won’t take this out on me?”  
  
Tord shrugged. “Sure he could get the surveillance footage and see you did it, but no one else knows about the prank. If he called you out publicly, he’d be almost inviting more; and you aren’t under his jurisdiction for punishment. I figure you’ll be fine.” His eye lit up suddenly, and he continued in a sly tone, “Actually, speaking of surveillance, you want to go watch the video? All the cameras link back to my system, we can see exactly what happened!”  
  
“…Sure.” Tom followed Tord down the hall, quiet. He still didn’t understand this attitude, but… that had been fun. And maybe that wasn’t the worst thing in the world, to have some fun with someone he used to hate.

 

  
Gunfire rang out in the distance. Tord, heading back from the finished front lines, was looking around for Tom. He had sent the Brit in early, for the third time in as many months, to use his powers to break up the enemy lines before Red soldiers arrived. Tom hadn’t protested this time, which seemed positive to Tord; perhaps he was finally getting comfortable in this lifestyle. Of course he hadn’t seem pleased to use his monster abilities either, but really Tord couldn’t understand that. To be so unstoppably powerful… Well, he couldn’t imagine how great that would be, and it didn’t appear Tom could either.  
  
Speaking of, he finally found Tom, who seemed to have collapsed as per usual after his shift against a broken building. He watched from a distance as Tom pulled himself up, legs shaky, and leaned against the nearest wall. At least he was conscious, and back to his regular state before anyone had really noticed the monster’s disappearance. But even while he stood there, he began to cough into his fist, and Tord noticed with a shock the red splattered across his hand as he pulled away.  
  
Now Red showed himself, darting forward and pressing an arm around Tom’s back in support. “Let’s get you back to base, yeah?” He ignored Tom’s spluttering of indignance, trying to push him away, and began to move towards the waiting planes.  
  
“I’m fine, gerrof-“  
  
“Shut up, come on.” They were nearly at the safe zone, and Tom had finally managed to push Tord away and walk on his own. He still looked unsteady, but he had made it quite clear he didn’t want help. They entered one of the head planes, Tom immediately taking a seat in a quiet corner while Tord bustled away. He was back all too soon though, with a medic.  
  
Tom immediately shook his head, pulling his knees up to his chest in some attempt to keep the nurse off. “I told you, I’m fine-“  
  
“And I’m ordering you to allow yourself to be examined, you were obviously injured.” Red nodded at the nurse, who had backed off a little in order not to distress the patient further. Tom eyed her with suspicion, before finally relaxing his stance and allowing her to come near. Tord had already informed her of his coughing up blood, and after checking Tom’s pulse it was this that she investigated next. She pressed gentle fingers against his chest, paying attention to Tom’s reaction; but he didn’t give her anything to work with. She turned back to Tord and said, “His ribs don’t feel broken, and if it was anything very serious I would say he’d be in worse shape; that’s as far as I can know until we get back to base.”  
  
Tord nodded, dismissing her. He turned back to Tom, who had pulled himself closer into his jacket and looked about to nod off; again, typical for a post shift. “Do you have any explanation for that, or will I have to put my doctors on your case?” It was highly unlikely Tom was actually injured, any wounds sustained healed right away. However, he also didn’t usually show any signs of damage after shifting back.  
  
Tom shook his head, opening his eyes again wearily. “It’s nothing.” He looked up at Tord, who did not appear in any hurry to leave. “I’m all better now! You can go.”  
  
“If you tell me what happened you won’t have to go to the med bay when we get back.”  
  
Tom let out an exasperated breath, the sudden breeze blowing back his jacket collar. “I told you when I joined I wanted to do one shift a year. You’ve made me do three. Believe it or not, that’s a bit much.” He glared at Tord, who actually looked a little surprised. “I didn’t tell you that just to get out of an uncomfortable situation.”  
  
“Oh. My apologies.” That unfortunately made sense, quite a lot of it. “You could have said-“  
  
“I don’t care. Can you please let me sleep.” Tom had regressed into the jacket once more, face hidden. After a moment, Tord strode away, attending to more important matters.

 

  
“Listen, I’ve been trying to find someone to fill a position, and I think you might be able to.”  
  
Tom looked at him carefully, perhaps thinking through what Tord could mean. “Can you be more specific?” They were sitting in Tord’s office, going over some paperwork. It was just some simple reports, stuff about Tom’s recent solo missions. He had been effectively removed from his squad, going along on whichever missions Tord assigned him to.  
  
“It will come with some extra responsibilities, but nothing beyond your capabilities I’m sure.”  
  
Rolling his eyes, Tom pressed, “Come on get on with it, what do you need me to do?”  
  
Tord hesitated, and Tom was given the impression he was struggling with words. Quite a rare experience. “I need you…Can you be my second-in-command?”  
  
Tom flinched, visibly shocked. Tord was quick to recover, “I need someone who won’t betray my trust, someone I’ve known for a long time, and quite frankly Paul and Patryck are getting tired of all the extra weight on their shoulders and don’t want the position. As far as I know you don’t have any aspirations to overthrow me, and quite frankly you’ve done some amazing work-“  
  
“Okay okay, stop.” Tom rubbed an irritated hand across his visor, resting his other hand on his knee. “Are you serious about this?”  
  
“Yes.” Tord was watching him, not wanting to make the situation worse.  
  
Tom let out a long breath, before looking up. “Okay.”  
  
There was a moment of silence, before Tord laughed. “Okay?”  
  
“Yeah, okay. Sounds like a nice change of pace.”  
  
“It will be more work, less individual missions and more general command. Basically you’ll be in charge if I’m unable to be, or if anyone has any stupid questions I don’t want to deal with. Less fighting, very little front line action.”  
  
“Ah I see, you just want someone to do all the boring stuff.” Tom grinned.  
  
“Yes, if you want to put it that way.”  
  
“Well I can’t quite see a choice from that great an offer.”  
  
“Then congratulations, Blue Leader.”

 

  
The Red Army was actually in considerable danger this time.  
  
There was one very large base of command, that most units operated from, as well as many smaller ones scattered across their conquered territory, which was now most of Europe. There was however, a secret base where Red Leader and many of the other higher-ups spent most of their time, sending out coded messages and broadcasts to their people. Well, secret base up til now. Some transmission had been caught, and now the little piece of army stationed there was in a fight for their lives, outside their own front door.  
  
Tom had already been shot, but he made no move to retreat; he stayed at the front line with Tord, making some small attempt to hold back the oncoming soldiers. Blood was visible through his jacket, staining the blue red in two places. Another grenade launched over their barricade, spinning away far enough to prevent damage to the leaders, but spraying dirt and gravel against them nonetheless. They both scrambled back, each of them pressing their guns closer to their chests. Tord coughed, scanning the area anxiously for something he could use, anything really, but he could see no way out of this. His men were cornered, the oncoming fire was too heavy to push back against with the small equipment they did have; this could be the end.  
  
Tom stared at Tord until he caught his eye. “What do you need me to do?”  
  
Desperation was the emotion currently overwhelming the leader, but he found when he looked at Tom, that seemed to disappear. Tom looked… determined. And sad. He knew what Tom thought he would say- well, he knew what he should say. The only way Tom could be of use now. But in his injured condition, and all things considered… it could be his end.  
  
A crack of a gun very close startled Red out of this, and he nodded at Tom slowly. “I need you to take care of this.”  
To his surprise Tom grinned. Not a happy gesture, not cheerful, but an agreement was cast simply by this expression of relief. He turned back to himself, sliding his gun off his shoulder, followed by his jacket and the sweater beneath. He set these carefully to the side, before turning to Tord. “You might have to point me in the right direction.”  
  
“Of course.”  
  
Tom stretched, a satisfying cracking of joints following. He grimaced a little, but stepped out and around the barricade, facing the enemy as they closed in on the leaders’ location. There was an interesting pause in gunfire; perhaps they thought Tom was coming out to surrender. Tord supposed he was technically unarmed, at least for the moment. He heard a low growl suddenly, and although he did not turn to look, he could imagine what the transformation looked like based on prior experiences. First would be the horns and claws, then the face and tail; before long it would become a blur, and there would be no telling where the human had gone and from whence the monster had appeared.  
  
There was a startled shout from the enemy line, they had noticed the changes. A spray of gunfire spattered against the metal sheet behind him, but it was the muted shots that worried him more; an angry roar sounded, and Tord thought perhaps he would not need to direct Blue after all. Screams rang out, coupled with more gunfire. There was a shuffling movement from the other barricades; Tord stood up slowly, watching as his men crept back out. They were watching the fight over Tord’s shoulders, mouths agape. It was almost comical; he imagined none of them had ever seen Tom’s monster form in action, let alone the knowledge that their second-in-leadership could do that.  
  
Still facing away from the fight, Tord called his men’s attention to himself. “I want a team to each side, circle around and cut off any escaping troops. If they surrender take them prisoner; otherwise shoot to kill.”  
  
His soldiers saluted, dividing off into their squadrons albeit still a little distracted. Tord did not blame them. He motioned several soldiers to his side, finally turning to see what was left of the main fight; and he had to say, he was impressed. There were very few soldiers left in this main area, or left alive he should say; the carnage left behind was horrific. Tord moved forward with his small squad, targeting the smaller groups of soldiers still around. Just as he began to wonder if Tom was getting off alright, there was a roar not far off. Leaving his squad to their business, he followed the noise at a quick pace; before long he could see the fight.  
  
There were not many soldiers left. He imagined those who were alive, for the most part, had fled from the rampaging monster. The last few men standing around the monster were firing any weapons they had into it, but nothing had any effect of course. Tom simply swatted them to the side with claws stained a dark red. It seemed Tom’s monster form was already shrinking, it was an obvious size difference from the massive beast only twenty minutes ago. Lucky the fight was nearly over then.  
  
Tord took up his rifle again, helping to finish off the last of the soldiers in the immediate area. He watched as the monster stumbled towards a broken down wall, crashing into it and collapsing on its side with a soft bark. Tom would be back in just a moment, and the real question was in what condition. Tord made his way closer, sliding his jacket off as he walked. The snapping of bones clicking back into place was harsh on his ears, but he couldn’t say it was quite unpleasant either. The last bit of purple skin faded from Tom’s face by the time he was beside him. His clothes were tattered, but his goggles still appeared intact; at some point his body just shifted around these things. He didn’t respond as Tord laid his jacket around his shoulders and picked him up slightly. The first good sign, there was no blood staining his chest, no more open wounds; there were darker patches of purple left in those previously injured places, the spaces obviously healing. He still lay unresponsive though, and this was becoming too long for a normal post-shift. Tord checked his pulse, of which there was one at least; but he could see the unsteady rising and falling of Tom’s chest clearly, his breath coming in short leaps. He needed medical attention, and fast.  
  
Tord gathered Tom’s limp form into his arms. As he stood, he could sense the difference in the battle still ongoing; sounds of gunfire were fading away, the last dying shouts of the battle ending. He stepped back towards home base, weaving around the blood and debris left behind.

 

 

The verdict was comatose. As it turned out the genes that gave Tom his monster abilities had healed the physical wounds he had suffered, but the fatigue extended for shifting and battle was too much. There was no telling when he might wake up, if indeed he could, the doctor told Tord back at base. There wasn’t any record of a case like this (and how could there be?) to predict what might happen now. So the red leader found himself sitting by his opposite’s bed, for once at a loss.  
  
Tord was silent for a long while, just staring at the body of his former enemy and companion. Seeing the usually cool leader so still and pale was almost worse than if he had really died. At some point he took in his prosthetic Tom’s limp hand, rubbing the metal over the skin gently. “What do you need me to do?” He didn’t realize for a moment the words had come from his own mouth. Rubbing his hand across his face, the leader let out a long sigh. All the power in the world and this was his limit. All there was left to do was wait.

 

.

..

....

 

Tom woke up two and a half years later. He wasn’t awake for long, and not truly conscious either, but the doctors assured Tord that was normal. After so long a sleep, it was like his body needed a rest from just waking up. Before he had passed out again he had been able to answer simple questions about his name and his last memories, so they weren’t worried about long-term mental damage. It was going to be a long time until his muscles were built back up again, but simple physio would take care of that, all in all his condition was better than could be hoped for. So it was that Red was alerted the next day, when Tom woke up once more.  
  
When Tord entered the room, Tom was still laying in the hospital bed, but his electronic eyes were alert and he perked up as he came in. Tord grabbed a seat, as Tom pushed himself up slightly against the headboard. There were still assorted needles and tubes protruding from his arms. “How are you feeling?”  
  
Tom shrugged. “Good. Tired.” His voice was hoarse, unused for so long. He hesitated a moment, before continuing, “How have things been with the army?”  
  
“Hhm, great! Really great. Europe is all ours now, Asia is close.” The words were out of his mouth before he could think about it. He probably should have eased into that news.  
  
“Wow, that’s… crazy. Cool.” Tom looked down at his hands, crossing his fingers gently. “How long did that take?”  
  
The silence was hard, like a sheet of glass had just been pressed between the two. Tord couldn’t answer for a long moment. “Two and a half years.”  
  
With those words the glass shattered. Tom didn’t react at first, and Tord had dropped his gaze to avoid seeing his shock. But to his surprise, Tom began to laugh. It was soft, and not necessarily out of place; a happy gasping. “Incredible.” Tord looked up, surprised, and met his gaze; Tom was grinning at him, not the anger or sadness he had expected to deal with at all. “And you managed to do all that? Congrats.”  
  
“You’re not- I dunno, upset? About years going by?”  
  
“Nah, it just means I got out of a lot of work.” Tom laughed again, then his expression became more serious. “Tord, I thought I was going to die. I’m just glad to be here at all.”  
  
“Ah.” The clock on the wall ticked softly, the only real noise in the room. Tord released a slight laugh, more like a sigh; “I’m sure you’ll be glad to hear the doctors said no more shifting, ever again. They aren’t even sure how you were able to do it last time, but they don’t think you could possibly do it now.”  
  
“Well, I’m not looking to prove them wrong.” Tom splayed his hands across the sheet, heaving out a satisfied breath. “So? You’ve got a good chunk of the world now, it’s almost yours; what do you need me to do?”  
  
“Just… be here. And don’t do anything stupid.”  
  
“Hah! Can do, Red Leader.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, let me know what you think!
> 
> If anyone can remember where I've used Dereck's character before, you get a gold star and my surprise


	17. Music

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For @future--tom, aka Blue; Tom had a coping method.

Tom had a new idea.

  
He knew he wasn’t coping with stress all that well lately, slower response times and all that, and if he didn’t pull things together soon he would get himself or someone else hurt.

  
Music was still one of the few things that always kept him calm and grounded, so he began to put together a playlist; when he was out for a fight he had one earpiece tuned into the army coms, the other connected to an ipod. He usually made it through all the songs twice, but didn’t often notice; he only really paid attention to the songs when he was overwhelmed, which was exactly the point. This method became extremely effective very quickly, and Tom found it easy to ease between reality and a calm state of mind.

  
—-

  
Tom was on the battlefield, heart thumping, blood rushing as he tried to assess the situation before him. He wasn’t in immediate danger, but he couldn’t seem to think of where he was or what he had supposedly been doing. All he could think of was a quiet scene, what felt like eons ago, where the morning sun and the smell of damp cloth had dominated his senses in the most peaceful manner. An idle hand found its way to his pocket, and he felt a thin device inside. He pulled it out: a music player. His music was off. He pressed the power button gently, and allowed the clean sound to wash over him. Some kind of anthem-type lyrical composition, encouraging and quite the toe-tapper. That’s right. He was supposed to be checking an area and prepping it for their tech team to sweep it clean. Tom lifted his weapon once more, and set off along his predetermined route.

  
—-

  
Tom was sitting alone in his room. His legs dangled off his bed as he sat hunched at the end. His shoulders jerked softly, and the room was completely silent; besides the soft beats coming out of his headphones. He never listened to music without earphones, although he didn’t know why. A calloused hand ran over his face, brushing against the bridge of his nose. He couldn’t think. He didn’t want to. The song he was listening to was something with a tappy beat, not quite happy and certainly not fitting his mood; but turning it off was out of the question. It spoke about a misunderstanding, someone mourning as well as another but for different reasons: and yet, he didn’t put the music away. Absense of sound could only make this worse. He let out a breath, and the clock on the wall continued to tick silently.

  
—-

  
Tom was in a gunfight. Bullets whizzed by, none quite penetrating the sheet of metal he crouched behind, but he could feel each one impact and leave a dent. The sound was bad. He couldn’t hear anything but each individual fire, each one coming closer and closer to his team’s location-

  
“Blue!” Tom turned, now seeing the soldier beside him; one of his closest men, really his second. He watched the soldier closely, but didn’t really understand the words. Not that he could hear what they were saying either. Who could be expected to, over all this noise?

  
The soldier rolled their eyes at Tom’s blank expression, instead miming a hand toward his ear. Even this made no sense; until Tom realized what he meant. Taking one of his hands from his weapon, he felt where his earbud would usually be. Nothing. He panicked momentarily, desperate fingers searching his neckline- he caught the end of the device, swinging gently from his shoulder, and quickly tugged the speaker back up and into his ear. It was still playing. Good. As he registered the song, plucking out a cheerful tune in electronic symphony, Tom cast a grateful nod to his subordinate and took up his pistol once more.

  
—-

  
Some connection was lost. Something dear, something nostalgic, gone forever. Tom refused to acknowledge it. Tom couldn’t hear. The music said something about sweet company and watching the world turn and dreams and settling for what you have. There was a nice beat to it, maracas used successfully to create a gentle rhythm and instruments he couldn’t begin to recognize. Tom stopped listening.

  
—-

  
Tom was lying on the ground. Of course it was a cold metal ground, he couldn’t have simply fallen on a carpeted floor, nooooo. His head hurt. Around him was all sorts of rushing movement and noise, colors flashing by in an indistinguishable cacophony. There was lots of angry noise, combined with that of pain. It flew by though, far too fast to be understood. Tom was tired of it. With one tired hand (another strange combination of color), he reached toward his ear, unplugging the headset broadcasting danger and fear, and instead put in his other headphone. A song preaching the gospel of teen rebellion and society’s collapse was screaming out in chaotic time, a welcome relief. Music flooded his exhausted senses, erasing the broken existence surrounding, and as he closed his eyes, Tom felt nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a vent piece, and quite honestly written very late; I don't know how coherent it is.


	18. Vampiric Tendencies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt's a vampire on the casual, but his powers could come in handy for an escape from Red Army. Too bad not everyone shares this view.

The cell was dark. And cold. The complementingly-coloured duo held within sat in silence, one on either side of the small room. Matt sat against the cold stone wall, tapping out some kind of beat with his fingers on the floor. Tom lay on the bottom bunk of their sleeping arrangement, one arm thrown over his face and the other dangling off the edge, nearly brushing the concrete. It had been like this for a week now, the pair waiting in confinement for some fate or another to come for them. They were deep within one of the Red Army’s main prisons, held in solitary spare each other for the crime of once knowing the Red Leader. Well, perhaps it was a little more than that; both men had played a hand in crashing his giant robot years ago. But he had also tried to kill them, so you’d think they’d be even.

Actually, even that could not be quite true; they had, with the third member of their group, been planning to start some kind of vigilante rebellion against the Red Army just prior to their arrest. The two events had been unrelated though, as they had simply been kidnapped off the street on their way to scrounge some food. Life was hard for anyone not in the Red Army; if you weren’t a Red, you were either a refugee or a soldier in what little war effort there still was. Neither of this band of outcasts had any idea what had happened to Edd, only that he hadn’t been with them and still wasn’t. So here they were, waiting for either a miraculous rescue or their inevitable death in the hands of the Reds.

Tom let out an annoyed sigh, like he had so many times already. “We should just break out.”

Matt looked up, watching as Tom’s arm swung carelessly off the bed. “I thought you said it was impossible?”

“I know I know, but I’m getting bored and there must be some way.” He sat up, taking a careful look at their surroundings, black eyes squinted in concentration. Their cell was very small, maybe 20 by 20 feet, and it was closed off on three walls by solid concrete, the fourth by stereotypical tight steel bars with a locked door in the center. The beds were drilled into the wall, and would be no use off of it, and they had already theorized they were underground, by the sort of lift the patrol took to come up and down from their shifts. There were other cells, but if they were occupied the prisoners rarely made noise, and none they could catch; the area seemed fairly large though, as it took the guards several minutes to circle around.

Apparently satisfied with his look around, Tom leaned back again. “Nope, nothing. Wow, I thought maybe something had changed.” His tone was rife with sarcasm.

“We’re going to be stuck here forever.” Matt rested his head back on his knees, wrapping his arms around himself in a comfort. His jacket was becoming dirty, and annoyed him more than most of his current situation. The guards had denied his requests for a washing machine.

“Well, not forever, I imagine we’ll be killed before long if nothing else. Probably in some stupid, ‘revenge’ type scenario.” Tom made air quotes at the roof. Matt whined a little into his jacket, and after a moment of thought Tom added, “If we just had some sort of other asset, something to break the bars or pick the lock… don’t suppose you have any bobby pins in that hair of yours?”

Matt scoffed. “No. I don’t need them, my hair is naturally helpful in keeping its signature style.”

“Right. One more option down.” Tom made a low humming sound, still thinking, although Matt couldn’t see why. The situation was obviously hopeless. “This might sound kind of crazy. Do you remember that Halloween like, eight years ago? Were you actually a vampire?”

Matt looked up, surprised. “Yeah? Yeah I was.”

Tom groaned at his reply. “Was, huh? Do you have any powers left over?”

“Oh! I don’t know, I just sort of… stopped trying to drink people’s blood, it was really hard to catch people and it didn’t fill me up really good. I think the powers just sort of went away.” He shrugged. “I still have fangs though.” He ran a tongue over one of the pointed teeth, shivering a little. Sure it looked cool, but whenever he thought about it the idea of being that monster again made him feel weird. Not bad, just… different.

Tom repeated Matt’s last words under his breath, obviously thinking. “Do you want to try to super strength the bars, bend them open or something? Look,” he continued, scowling at Matt’s skeptical look, “I said it was crazy, but maybe it’s our only chance. It’s worth a shot. Now hurry, do it before the guards come back around.”

With a moan of trivial inconvenience, Matt stood, stretching his cramps away. He approached the bars, looking at them doubtfully. But even still, he grabbed one on either side, and with a deep breath closed his eyes and pulled as hard as he could. He heard a crack and thought for a joyous moment the plan had worked; but a second later released his hold with an uncomfortable gasp. It had just been the bones in his arm creaking, what a horrible sensation. He rubbed the remaining discomfort away, glancing at the bars; sure enough, no difference at all.

Tom had sat up to watch the exhibition, but with the failure he closed his eyes once more, resting his head in his hands. “Ah well. We’re screwed.”

They fell back into silence, Matt leaning against the wall this time, only barely rid of the numbness in his legs. But surprisingly enough, it was Matt who broke the silence next, only five minutes later. “Can I have a turn at a weird idea?”

“Be my guest,” came Tom’s mumbled reply.

Matt hesitated just a moment, to be sure of his words: “Maybe if I drank blood again, my powers would come back.”

“What, you mean grab a guard to suck dry? I don’t see how…” Tom mumbled to himself for a moment, before finally jerking up. “Wait. No, I’d rather die by Tord-“

“Wait wait, hear me out! I could take just a little blood, not nearly enough to kill you, and maybe it will spark my super strength back up?” Matt was eager to explain himself properly, not least of which because of the growing hunger in his stomach. He hadn’t felt like this in years, but then again he’d not been so stir-crazy in years either. Besides, if this helped them get free, how perfect would that be?

“Matt that is an entirely new level of weird, besides, if you don’t kill me won’t I just turn into a vampire too? And I really, really don’t want that.”

“Not if I don’t bite you on the neck! I think. I’ll take it from your arm, it’ll be just like donating blood except it’ll also get us out of here. Y’know, hopefully.”

“Yeah hopefully,” Tom mocked under his breath, but nonetheless he found himself nodding. “I must be desperate. Alright fine, let’s give it a shot.”

“Really? Great!” Matt darted to Tom’s side, sitting down just in front of the bed on his right. Tom was already rolling up his hoodie sleeve, exposing his forearm. Matt was astonished at the way his mouth watered at just the thought of a little blood.

“Just a tiny bit, right?” Tom was eyeing him suspiciously.

Matt nodded enthusiastically. “It’ll only take me a second!” He took Tom’s arm gently, waiting only a moment before sinking his fangs into the flesh, right into a vein. Tom yelped, saying something about the pain, but Matt was completely tuned out by this point. He closed his eyes, sucking gently and filling his mouth with the forbidden substance. It was terrifying at first, but it was more scary how quickly the sensation turned from negative to incredible.

All too soon it was over though; Matt had to pull his monstrous nature back, releasing Tom after what was maybe two seconds. He licked his lips almost ashamedly, watching Tom with nervous eyes.

Tom had yanked his arm back immediately, and was now inspecting the two pinprick holes in the skin. It didn’t appear to be bleeding anymore, which Matt chalked up to expertise. “That hurt dude, definitely more than giving blood.”

“Sorry! Are you okay?”

“Fine.” Tom hesitated, his void eyes staring into Matt’s. “Your eyes are kind of red, is that good?”

Matt gasped, involuntarily looking around for a mirror. “Yes, they used to be like that! Are they completely red?”

“Uh, no. Just a bit, kind of shiny really.” Tom sat up straighter, tugging his sleeve back down. “Do you have any powers back then?”

“I dunno…” Matt eyed the bars again, waiting for a nearby guard to pass before trying to bend them once more. The steel didn’t shift, but when he turned back around it was with a large grin. “That felt better! It didn’t work yet, but I definitely feel stronger.”

“Yet? Matt, if it doesn’t work now, when will it?”

“I… might need more blood?” Matt stumbled over his words slightly, as he continued, “I know it’s kind of gross, but if a little bit brought back a tiny bit of my powers, maybe I’ll get more back if I drink some more!”

“I can only give you so much, I kind of need that to live.” Tom looked unimpressed.

“Yes, but maybe if I just take a little each day, it’ll add up to just enough for super strength! And then we can get out of here, and go find Edd, and we’ll all be together again and away from this dreadful drab prison-“

“Don’t get ahead of yourself Matt.” But Tom was definitely interested. “I suppose we could give it a try, anything to get out of here. Just don’t go crazy with the blood, okay?”

“Of course, we’ll do it just like today, just a bit at at time!” Matt scrambled up to his bunk bed, curling up into the blankets with excitement. “I really hope this works Tom! I can’t wait to go home!”

“Me too Matt.”

* * *

 

“We’re only going to have one shot at this, is what I’m saying.” Tom scratched his arm absentmindedly, the bite marks not quite healing properly since they were continuously reopened. “If we get caught, we’ll only get put in a better cage, or, you know, killed. So can we both make it to the lift, after you’ve broken the bars, and before the guards come back?”

Matt hummed. It had been three days since they started Matt’s blood drinking routine. His eyes obviously glowed now, to the extent that when a guard passed, he closed them to hide the light. He hadn’t felt this powerful in years, and had been having a hard time understanding Tom’s concerns of safety because of it. “I don’t know, how fast can you run? I could make it.”

“If anything goes wrong though, we’re screwed. Or maybe I’m just screwed, I dunno.” Tom crossed his legs thoughtfully, waiting a few seconds as the guard passed once more. Whatever soldiers were placed down here, they must be on some kind of strongly disliked assignment, as not a one of them seemed any kind of suspicious of the prisoners. “What other powers do you have? Besides super strength.”

“Hmm,” Matt started, extending his fingers for dramatic effect, “I can fly, turn into a bat, survive most weapons, and dashing good looks of course!”

“Wait, I forgot about the bat thing… Do you think you’d be small enough to fit between the bars? For that matter, could you do that now? It might be easier than the super strength.”

Matt thought for a moment, his expression contorted into one of concentration; and sure enough, after a few moments he did manage to gain a few batlike features, ears and a more pointed face, as well as some height loss. He quickly shifted back though, and shrugged sheepishly. “Not yet, but I think I’m close.”

Tom made a grossed out face, but he was more positive as he continued to muse over a plan. “It would be better if you could sneak out ahead of time and take care of the guards before they can set off any alarms... And if we time it right there’ll be even more…” He started mumbling to himself, playing with the hem of his hoodie. He seemed nervous, or maybe just preoccupied.

Matt took a seat beside him, almost floating onto the rock-hard mattress. He was feeling bright-eyed and alert, well-rested even without much actual sleep. He hadn’t realized how much he had missed his supernatural powers, especially not since they had been gone so long. Tom meanwhile was looking more exhausted than ever, but he did seem to have the worse end to this arrangement. After all, this bed was horribly uncomfortable, no doubt he wasn’t getting a wink of sleep! But Matt was sure he’d be feeling right as rain as soon as they escaped. “So what’s the plan?” He asked, in quite the chipper tone of voice.

Tom startled, before shaking his head slowly. “As far as I can figure, it’ll be best if we try right when the guards switch out, so we can catch the new set before they realize what’s going on. If you can slip through the bars and knock them out or something, we can steal their key cards to get upstairs. But there’s no telling what we’ll find on the way out.”

“Well, we can take the guards’ weapons, right? Easy peasy!”

“…Yeah, that could work. I’m just saying, we’ll have to be careful. Either we get out or we die trying.”

“Well, that’s a little drastic.” Matt had started out laughing, but stopped as he saw Tom’s frown. “We’re going to be just fine! It’s not like a few men with guns is the worst problem we’ve faced.”

“Easy for the super-powered airhead to say.” But Tom smiled a little, and Matt took it as an invitation to keep talking. They continued to run through the plan together, any minute detail they could, for both peace of mind and to pass time as they waited for the day to turn.

* * *

 

Tom grew more restless in the next couple days, complaining of a headache, but seeing as the only recreation in their cell was pacing he was less than satisfied. He didn’t even sit down as Matt asked him for a feeding once more, just unwrapped his arm and extended it to him.

Admittedly, Matt felt different today. After a week of drinking even that slight amount of blood daily he was feeling much more in touch with his vampiric side. He sniffed the dried blood around the puncture wounds carefully, for what was definitely too long to be sociably acceptable. Tom muttered something along the lines of, “hurry up,” which he was all too happy to oblige. He sunk his teeth into the flesh, the scent of fresh blood overwhelming his senses immediately. Suddenly, all Matt could think of was how _hungry_ he was.

He was faintly aware of Tom saying something, in a tone that wasn’t exactly happy; but all too quickly his instincts were taking over. His fangs dug in deeper than before, nearly hitting bone. A drag of blood hit his palette, and this only encouraged him to drink more, draining all he could.

Before Matt was nearly aware of what was going on, there was a hand pressing back hard against his throat. He released his fangs with a hiss, only to be thrown to the floor. He scrambled up in a rage, blood dripping from his mouth and red eyes aglow. But before he could pounce again, Tom shouted, “WHAT WAS THAT?!”

Matt stepped back, surprised by the man’s rage. Tom was cradling his bitten arm, across which blood was smeared where Matt had been forced off. He looked pale, but he glared up at Matt with a passion. “Are you kidding me?! That’s a little bit?”

“Tom, I-“

“No! What’s wrong with you, you could have killed me.” He narrowed his eyes, and his tone was suddenly accusatory as he continued, “Is this even for the plan anymore?! Or do you think you can just finish me off, then escape on your own?”

“No! Tom, please listen!” Matt tried to step forward, but stopped when Tom pressed back against the wall. “I didn’t mean to, I promise! I just lost control, I haven’t had to stay on top of cravings for so long… I didn’t…” He rubbed a hand against his mouth, then blinked down at the excess blood fearfully. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, folding his arms across his chest protectively.

Tom seemed to have lost the edge of his rage, but his eyes searched Matt’s tiredly. “It doesn’t matter. I just want to get out of here. Do you think you can transform now, or what?”

Matt concentrated for a moment, eager to make this terrible moment worth it; with a slight poof, a tiny bat now fluttered around the cell. Tom watched quietly, giving an unenthusiastic clap when Matt shifted back. “Looks good. Next guard change then?”

“Of course! We’ll be out of here so fast Tom, I can’t wait!”

“Yep.” The bandage that had been cast to the side was haphazardly wrapped around Tom’s wrist once more, and as he finished tying it he sat back down on the bed. “Listen, my head’s still killing me, I’m going to try to get some sleep alright? Wake me up when it’s time to go.”

“Okay! I’m really sorry Tom, I promise it won’t happen again.”

Tom didn’t respond, instead lying down with his back to the rest of the cell. Matt watched him for a moment, before returning to watch the guards circuit slowly. He bit his lip anxiously, far more gently than the treatment he had given Tom just moments before. What had come over him? Or rather, why hadn’t he been able to control it? He made a promise, and the whole purpose of this plan was to keep them safe, not hurt Tom! He never wanted to do that! But he couldn’t deny that this was the most full he had felt in _so_ long, he hadn’t realized how empty human activity had left him. Sure he didn’t want to hurt Tom or for that matter Edd, but, if he had to…. he could always find someone else to suck dry.

* * *

 

Matt was pacing back and forth in the cell restlessly, watching the movement outside. Tom still lay on his side, and appeared to be fast asleep. The guard was just about to change, and it was this movement that Matt was waiting for. “Okay Tom, I’m gonna go.” He was just about to shift and fly out the bar slats, but the response from Tom never came. “Tom?” Leaving without being sure Tom was also ready to go would be imprudent; Matt darted back to his side for a moment, shaking his shoulder none too gently. “Come on Tom, we’re going to miss our chance!”

But Tom didn’t respond. He just lay there, limp in Matt’s hold, and breathed gently on. For the first time Matt began to wonder if something was wrong; after all, Tom was not a heavy sleeper. He sat down beside his comrade, still attempting to prod him awake. Tom did look awfully pale, but the lighting in here was also some of the worst Matt had ever had to deal with so that could mean nothing. Without his consent, his gaze wandered to the bandage haphazardly wrapped around Tom’s forearm- is it possible he took too much blood? He thought he had been careful, but how much blood was really too much? He had taken enough to grow back to full strength, but was it too much for one person, even over a week? He pressed a finger to Tom’s neck, feeling for a pulse (and resisting the urge to finish him off, oh it would be so easy, and he’d probably be happier-); there was barely a beat. Either Matt just couldn’t feel it, or Tom was barely holding on.

A slight panic was starting to overtake Matt, between the now more powerful urges to feed and the fact that his friend was dying in front of him; he dashed back to the cell door, shouting between the bars at the newly arrived guard. “Hey! Help, please!” He wasn’t sure what to say really, but the words continued on their own, “I think my friend is dying, please can you come get him!”

One of the guards had come over, a casual smirk on his face. “Yeah that’s the oldest trick in the book, get us to come in there just to get jumped. What kind of idiots do you think we are?”

“No no, it’s not like that! I promise, you can cuff me up if you want to, he’s really in trouble!”

The other guard had wandered over now, and was staring at Tom’s still form with at least a little curiosity. “You know, these were special arrests by Red; maybe we should check it out. I personally don’t want to get told off for letting one of his ‘projects’ die.”

His partner rolled his eyes, but to Matt’s relief began to unlock the door. As soon as it was open he trained his gun on Matt, allowing his partner to go check Tom. The gun pointed at him was the least of Matt’s worries, as he watched the soldier inspect his friend. “Hey Reg, I think we better bring him up to the med bay, or at least ask one of the heads- he’s barely got a pulse.”

Reg shook his head. “That’s impossible, no one’s had any contact with him- how could he be that ill?”

“I don’t know, but I do know he’s not going to last much longer at this rate. Give me a hand, will you?”

The guard cast a suspicious glance at Matt, but holstered his weapon and joined his partner. They hoisted Tom up between them, and Matt was honestly terrified at how limply he dangled in their hold. He looked dead.

The guards hurried out of the door, one of them stopping to lock the cell; and soon Matt was left all alone. He could of course still escape, but his concern for Tom was definitely holding him back- that was his fault, it was his powers that had killed Tom as far as he knew, and if that was the case then maybe it was better he be locked up. He took a seat against the far wall, curling up into his hoodie in some effort to cancel out the horrible cold radiating from his own body.

* * *

 

The cell door slammed open days later. Matt hadn’t moved since, although he was definitely getting hungry again; but somehow, looking at the tray of food brought daily only served to make him nauseous. He had tried to ask the guards for an update on Tom’s situation, but they would either ignore his questions or have no idea. So he looked up in surprise as an important looking figure stepped in, covering Matt’s form with his shadow. “Hello Matthew.” The voice was intimidating, but horrifyingly familiar.

Matt looked up, trying desperately to identify this person. To be honest, the days of solitude were not helping his memory loss. “What’s going on? Is Tom okay?” He cringed away as the man stepped closer, cigar smoke clinging to him and filling the room with the aroma he hadn’t smelled since- wait. “Tord?”

“Don’t call me that Matt, I’d really hate to hurt you.” Tord was walking in a slow half circle, pacing slightly. “You can call me Red Leader, Red if you must. And yes, he’ll be alright, although with no thanks to you. Honestly, I never thought you would try to kill him like that.”

“I didn’t try to kill him!” Matt’s voice was shrill, panicked; even though he was relieved for that news, he didn’t know how to make Tord understand- Tom had given him permission! This wasn’t his fault, it couldn’t be really, and if Tom was alright then-

Tord cut off his hurried thoughts. “Most would certainly say you did. Those bite marks on his arm… Would you like to show me how that happened?”

Matt closed his mouth quickly, shaking his head. Despite this measure though, Tord knelt before him, using his metal hand to force Matt’s mouth open and peer inside. “Look at those fangs. I must have missed something quite interesting!” He let go, and Matt tried to lick the metallic taste away. “So, a vampire. An immortal being who’s only weaknesses are bright lights and garlic, two things you don’t seem to really mind anyway; I’d say you’re an asset! But we simply must take care of that bad habit, can’t have you biting my men now can I?”

Matt was thoroughly distressed now, confusion and indignance setting in. “What are you talking about? I won’t attack anyone!”

“Well you hurt Tom, didn’t you? Do you really want to do that again? Besides, you’ll be so much more useful without that silly inhuman need.”

“Tom knew- I didn’t- He let me-“

“And I do blame him for that, believe me, I know what you two were planning, but this is what I’m offering you now.” Tord leaned in uncomfortably close, and once more Matt was faced with the urge to jump forward, pin him to the ground and suck him dry. “I am going to fix that little urge of yours, and you are going to use those superhuman powers to help me.”

“No!” Matt pushed him away, scrambling back along the wall several feet. “No I won’t do it.”

Tord seemed surprised that Matt had dared to lay a finger on him; he stood up, waving his men away as they also dashed forward. “Pity- this isn’t an offer you can refuse. I’ll be back for you in a few hours. Oh, and just so you don’t try to run away…” He waved to one of his men, who immediately fired his gun into Matt’s leg; Matt shrieked, but Tord simply laughed. “Relax, or I suppose you will have to in a moment- it’s just a tranquilizer. Have a good rest, I’ll need you in good condition soon.” He stepped out of the cell, and his men followed, as Matt curled back in on himself and sobbed.

* * *

 

Matt woke up. He was strapped into a cot, bright lights that winked away painfully far above him. His head hurt terribly, but whether the light or his own confusion he had no idea the cause. He tried to tilt his head up, only to find it incredibly heavy and hard to move; he cried out, but his mouth would only open a fraction, and even this small action caused him extreme pain.

“Ah good, you’re up.” Matt flinched, hard, and moaned again. Tord came into view above him, an indifferent expression surveying Matt’s own pained face. “The operation was a complete success, I’m sure you’ll be glad to hear. You’ll get used to the pain soon, although it may take a while before you can talk as per normal; no big loss though, eh?” He chuckled, before glancing back at the clipboard in his hand. “You’re on painkillers, although you may still be in some discomfort; after all, we need you to heal up fast, and if we drug you too much we’ll only lose out! You’ve already been out several days anyway, may as well begin to adjust.”

Matt tried to groan out a question, but Tord shook his head with a smile. “Don’t try to speak yet, you’ll only make it worse. Would you like to see what it looks like?” He disappeared from view for a moment, only to reappear with a hand mirror. It was plain black, not like any of the beautiful mirrors Matt owned, but his heart jumped at the sight of it anyway.

Alas, his hopes were dashed to the ground immediately. The rest of his face looked saggy and ill, but his chin, that one defining feature of his dashing visage, was encased in some sort of metal plating. Ugly screws were extremely visible, and it was so enormous it could never be covered up. Tears sprang to his eyes, and Matt began to shake with painful sobs.

Tord clicked his tongue. “I’d recommend you stop that, it’ll do no good. You’ll learn to like it, besides: you’ll never snack on anyone again. That must be a good thing, yeah?”

Matt, of course, could not reply. He only cried harder, both at the situation and the pain and Tord’s horrible nonchalance. Each terrified breath he released only pressed harder against the impossible weight, and he began to feel he might suffocate. He was vaguely aware of Tord moving around, and felt a sudden prick in his arm; thankfully, he slipped back into unconsciousness.

* * *

 

Matt had been in the hospital for a week now. Well, the Red Army’s mini hospital anyway. He had finally recovered the strength to lift his head up ever so slightly, but the added weight was so off-putting he had no idea how he’d ever walk. He had firmly denied seeing a mirror again, so horrifying the first glance had been. Tord had been back in to see him once, but really only for a status update from the doctors. They had been performing regular check-ups on him, making sure the metal cast had set correctly and that he at least tried to hold up the weight, he could never get used to it otherwise. Tord had paid him little attention in that visit, only sending him a brief, strange smile. So it was that when Tord came to visit him again, Matt was not expecting much.

Tord entered abruptly, as he often did, startling Matt out of his daydreaming reverie. He was propped up in the bed, nearly sitting up but still leaning back against the reclined mattress. “Why hello there Matt! Feeling better I see.”

Matt looked at him crossly, but saved his words; it was not impossible to speak, but tiring. So Tord continued, “I think you’re ready to hear why I did this; I’d like you to join Red Army.”

Matt’s eyes flared, and he managed to utter a quick “no!”, but Tord raised a hand for his silence.

“You’d be given a wonderful position with all the comforts and benefits, think of it like being a cop! All you have to do is follow mission assignments, help upkeep the laws in my territories, it’s a very easy gig. I’ll set you up with a nice apartment, in, let’s say, London, with all the earthly goods you could desire- oh! And I forgot the best part! You and Tom will be partners!”

Matt’s breath caught in shock. He was sad to say he had completely forgotten about Tom, so wound up in his own troubles as he was. Was Tom actually okay? Tord had said he was, but Tord hated Tom, why would he take care of him?

Tord saw Matt’s clear confusion, and nodded gravely. “I patched Tom up, as it turns out you were not the only damage to his health- but he’s all better, and has already agreed to my offer.”

Now that did not sound like Tom. Matt stuttered out in a hoarse voice, “what.. did you do?”

“I assure you, I only helped him- in fact,”and Tord paused to press a button on his lapel, which Matt could only assume was a communication device “Thomas, would you come to the med bay please? Room 206.”

There was some garbled reply, but it must have been affirmatory; a tense minute later the door swung open again, and Matt saw Tom enter the room. If he hadn’t thought it was Tom coming though, he may not have recognized him, at least not at first. Tom’s entire style was different, giving off a whole new vibe- he wore some kind of snazzy outfit, perhaps a uniform he had been assigned, with a button up and vest and tie. Matt could only ever remember him wearing button ups ironically. His hair was slicked back, rather than spiked straight, and in general he looked healthier, less slouched and more alive. That being said, the strangest change was covering his eyes; there was what looked like an lcd monitor strapped to Tom’s face, displaying what could be called eyes Matt supposed, but the range of emotion must have been coldly limited. Tom stopped a short ways from Matt’s bed, facing Tord, but Matt caught the glance shot his way, coupled by perhaps a worried frown.

Tord clapped his hands together as Tom entered, standing up. “I’ll leave you two alone for a moment, I’m sure you’ll be glad to catch up! I’ll ask for your response when I return, Matt.” He stepped out quickly, boots clacking against the tile with authority.

The pair was left in a strange silence for a long moment, both so put out by the circumstances neither knew exactly what to do. But eventually Tom sighed, pulling up a different chair to Matt’s bedside. “Are you feeling alright?” He didn’t ask if Matt was okay.

“I dunno. What- what happened to you?”

Tom laughed a little, a breathy sigh ending the exclamation. “Uh, woke up in the hospital too, they said I recovered from the blood loss fine but as it turns out, I had eye cancer too? Or that’s what Red told me. That’s what these are for.” He tapped the side of the goggle-things.

“Y-you mean Tord?”

The mention of the name made Tom look almost uncomfortable. “Yeah Matt, look, it’s best to just call him what he wants, okay? Not a big deal if he wants to use the made-up title.” But Matt noticed how his shoulders shifted nervously, and also just how un-Tom-like it was to not annoy the Norwegian. Tom snapped his fingers suddenly, a more excited expression taking over his face. “So you got the job offer though right? What do you think?”

Matt had no idea how to respond, mostly because he couldn’t think of why Tom appeared to be happy about Tord’s offer. “Did you… say yes?”

“Yeah, I did.” Tom saw Matt’s conflicted expression, and hurried to add, “It’s not bad, you know, and he did kind of save my life I guess. It’s not like we’d have to see the commie either, we’d just be employees in his weird nation. I think I can live with that.”

“But… Edd.”

Tom visibly flinched. “Yeah. Yeah I know. And I am really sorry for that, but the whole idea of fighting Red Army? It wasn’t a good idea Matt. It wouldn’t have worked. Besides, as soon as we can find him, Red said he would offer him a job too Matt, help him like he did us. Then we’d all be together again, and we won’t have to be on the run anymore, or scared for our lives all the time…” He drifted off, lost in thought. “It’s just… easier this way.”

Matt stared at Tom, shocked. How had Tord ‘helped’ him?! All Matt had now was a terribly disfigured face. And if that was Tord’s idea of help, how would he treat Edd? Or for that matter, all of them, in whatever ‘job’ they were being offered?

At the same time though… Tom had seemed happy. And when was the last time Matt had seen him like that? It had been years, certainly. And maybe Tord was right. After all he had almost killed Tom with his feeding, and how many other people had he offed in this way? Were there people he didn’t even remember? Perhaps he was a menace, maybe this restriction was a good thing. Heavens knows he could survive without blood drinking, he had for years and he certainly could again. Besides, wouldn’t it be amazing to live with Tom again, and eventually Edd, in a real house with basic provisions? He couldn’t think of the last time he had taken a shower, let alone eaten a home-cooked meal.

The door opened once more, the scarred leader entering without announcement. “I hope I haven’t cut any discussion short! But Tom, you are free to visit Matt, outside of work hours of course.” Tom nodded in acknowledgement, a sudden neutral expression taking over. Tord turned to Matt now, a sly grin eating at his worn cheeks. “So? Have you made a decision?”

Matt took as deep a breath he could, before murmuring. “Yes. I-I will.”

“Splendid! I’m so happy you agreed!” But it appeared to Matt that Tord had been expecting this answer in the end. “As soon as you’re recovered you and Tom will be trained and deployed, and I expect that to be within the month! Come along Tom, you should get back to combat practice.”

Tom nodded, and the pair left the room, Tom sneaking a goodbye wave to Matt. Matt lay there in the silence, certain that he made the right decision, he must have. But at the same time, he couldn’t stop the soft tears streaking down his damaged face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi I spent like eight hours on this so please tell me what you think!


	19. Time Troubles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edd tries to "fix" the future.

“Edward, stop.”

  
The shout rang out across the small alleyway, to the scruffy hooded man standing at the end. There was a tense silence for a long moment, as the hunted kept his back to the hunter. Slowly he raised his arms, which could have been taken as an act of surrender, bar the display of a very special device wrapped around his left wrist. “You can’t take me down fast enough, I’ll be in another time before any bullet could hit me.” Edd’s voice was low, raspy. His arms swung back down, and he turned to face the current leader of the world.

  
“I’m not here to shoot you Edd, but you can’t use the time machine again.” Tord was trying to stay calm, composed, like a leader should be; his tone was anything but. “You’ve already used it once, and it’s a miracle the time stream isn’t already irreparable.”

  
Edd laughed. The sharp cry echoed, a strange haunting noise in the silent night. “Once.” He laughed again, as Tord stared, quickly suspecting that his old friend had finally lost it altogether. “Oh Red, don’t you think I may have tried something a little less desperate than _killing myself_ to begin with?”

  
“What are you talking about?”

  
“Oh, what am I talking about, how about all my other attempts to stop this?! First you took over, and that was bad enough, but then you stole Matt and Tom, forced them to work for you, and left me to nothing.” Edd had started to pace, and Tord’s hand was on his gun, although he hadn’t drawn it yet. It appeared as though Edd lost his blaster some ways back, and he was little concerned if it came to hand-to-hand combat.

  
“They came to work for me willingly-“

  
“Yes yes, in this timeline,” Edd conceded with a wave of his hand, “and I have no understanding of how that came about, considering my amendments to that first timeline. But no matter what I changed, you still ended up on top, even if you don’t leave for the city, even if that robot gets destroyed, or you fly away free, nothing changes!” A slight sob had crept into his voice, as a tired hand rose up to cradle his face. “I guess it is your world after all, huh? Tord’s world, Tord’s universe, and everyone else can fall under you or go to hell.”

  
Obviously Edd was growing more and more unstable, especially with all this talk of changing time; there was no way the timestream could have stood that amount of abuse, Tord decided. Taking a slight step forward, he extended his organic hand in as non-threatening a gesture he could. “I never wanted us to end up like this, you can certainly come back with me. I’m sure Tom and Matt would be pleased to see you in a more friendly context as well.”

  
“More friendly being a prison cell? I’m aware of my crimes, I can’t come play goody goody now even if I wanted to. Which I don’t.” Edd spat the words, his demeanour suddenly hard again. His free hand crept to the time device, and with a rising panic coordinates were tapped in. “I’ll try again, and again, until you’ve lost or I die trying.”

  
Tord finally pulled his gun, aiming it up in an unspoken threat, but as Edd had declared there was no point to it; a flash lit the alley, and as it faded there was no trace of the green outlaw. Tord sighed, pulling out his communicator (ignoring the beeping alerts of time manipulation nearby) and phoned into base. “Efforts to negotiate are unfruitful, re-dispatch Blue and Purple with a squad apiece. New capture orders: dead or alive.”  



	20. Transfer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom sees something a little foreboding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Important notes!! Please read!! This story takes place in a red army au, with second-in-command Tom and Tord who was never scarred up in a robot crash, no robotic arm or eyepatch. Tom's goggles are extremely special, in that they can look into the future, usually for the profit of the army. This story also features a special character, my particular canon-divergent f!Tom, named Blue; if you follow my blog or his (kzdipped or future--tom, respectively) you know what's up; otherwise feel free to ask me questions in the comments! Thanks for reading!

It wasn’t hard to tell Tom was out of sorts. Where sarcastic remarks would usually be there was now indifference, and where he might be expected to hold a pleasant conversation was sullen silence or an angry response. Tord had spent enough time working with him and even holding some sort of civil camaraderie as of late to know something was amiss. At first he thought perhaps the blue leader was getting overworked, or tired of all his glances into the future. Goodness knows that must be exhausting. Even after several days of ordered leave of duty, though, Tom only appeared worse than ever.

  
At that point a confrontation was unavoidable, if not for Tom’s sake then for the quality of his work that was continually going downhill. So Tord cornered him one day outside his room, early morning sunlight filtering through a nearby window and setting a completely different tone than the conversation about to begin. “What is wrong with you?”

  
As expected he was met with a glare, and a retort of “This conversation is certainly joining the list.”

  
“Come on Tom, don’t be difficult.” Tord leaned back against the wall, both blocking Tom’s escape into the rest of base and putting on a more casual appearance. Not that either of these tactics usually worked with his second. “You’re obviously upset over something, out with it.”

  
Tom laughed, but the action seemed rehearsed. “Has my performance gone down or something? Sorry to disappoint-“

  
“Stop.” And because the sudden shift to exasperated tone was such a surprise, Tom did. “Listen, I’m trying to reach out and help you, okay? You are legitimately acting concerning, and I want to know why.”

  
Tom looked put out for a moment, before his eyes hardened into a glare and he responded, “I’m going to die in a week.”

  
The hard words stunned the leader. “What, did you see it?”

  
“I don’t know, it’s weird…” Tom mumbled, setting a hand against his goggles, “But everything stops on my birthday, I can’t see any farther.”

  
“Well that could be anything, we are working with time here, maybe it’s just a stale point? Or the goggles need to reset or something, after all I can’t imagine you can look into the future forever without some penalty-“

  
“No you don’t understand, there is… there’s NOTHING after that point. I’ve had this happen before, with little blips or whatever you’re talking about, but not like this.” His tone, stating these as facts, made Tord wonder just how long Tom had kept this to himself. “I can’t see anything in particular happening either, so it must be instant, or maybe the goggles stop working, or…” He shrugged. “I doubt it’ll matter soon enough.”

  
“Hey, don’t talk like that. Maybe the goggles just break, have you considered that?” Tom shrugged again. “Or they are simply malfunctioning, which we could have fixed right away if you had told me.”

  
“Didn’t think there was much point.”

  
“Yeah well, that’s because you’re an idiot. Come on, let’s get your goggles checked out first, make sure it’s not a simple error we could have fixed weeks ago.”

  
“It hasn’t been weeks,” Tom muttered, but he did follow Tord as he left the room for a workshop.

* * *

 

  
There appeared to be nothing wrong with the device, in either sight or future-telling capabilities. This was determined after hours of work, after which both colour-themed leaders were exhausted and somewhat cranky. Tord had felt sure there was simply an error after months without a tune-up, and Tom felt no closer to an answer that would let him sleep at night.

  
The week continued, with several more tests on the time device and more and more disappointing results. Everything was working as it was meant to, and even still, Tom claimed, there was nothing beyond the day only two nights away now. After prying more details out of him, Tord learned it wasn’t that he couldn’t see the army anymore, but rather every time he searched for himself he drew up blank. This at least put his mind at ease over any sort of apocalyptic event on the horizon, but also proved very little comfort to Tom.

  
It was obvious when the day approached; Tom was present for the usual morning meetings, and as far as Tord noticed his work for the day was completed, but he was very distant. Whereas the past week had been a mess of foul temper and cynical responses to near everything, now he was quiet, going about business until it was finished and then retiring to his quarters.

  
Well, until he received a page for urgent business to the staff lounge. Of course Tom hurried over, this was still his job after all; more than likely some recruits got in a fight and needed dealing with. But he was surprised to see not the aftermath of a brawl, but Red waiting for him on a couch with popcorn and a movie loaded on the flatscreen before them. “What is this?”

  
“Figured you’re sulking in your room because you’re freaked out, right?” Tord mumbled through a mouth full of snacks. Obviously he hadn’t expected Tom to be so quick in arrival. He swallowed, continuing, “So come hang out until you can sleep or whatever. Do you have any timeline for what you can’t see?”

  
Tom hesitated for a long moment, before looping around the sofa and taking a seat on the opposite end. “I don’t know, I just can’t see tomorrow. You know it’s not super specific.”

  
“Right, well, there are enough bad movies here to last til tomorrow for sure, so however long it takes for you to be sure it’s not real.”

  
“That’s… cool. Thanks.” Tom relaxed slightly as the movie began to play, then turned back. “What are you getting out of this?”  
“A sick day off work if we stay up late enough.” He chuckled a little. “Don’t worry about it, besides if your goggles malfunction it’s my fault, so consider this repaid.”

  
“If it does turn out to be a glitch I am holding it against you for the rest of our lives.” But Tom did smile, and they made it through one, then two movies in relative peace. Tord could tell he was still tense, but at least they could share a few laughs over crappy editing and stupid plots. The clock ticked on, and so did the films, and they were on their third before the clock struck midnight-

-

-

  
and Tom recoiled as though he’d been shot. Tord jumped, as he had pretty well relaxed by this point into the sofa. “Thomas?” He asked quickly, crossing the short distance that lay before them and assessing the situation. Tom’s goggles seemed spaced out, not focusing on Tord as he came over and certainly not looking at anything in particular. His chest still rose and fell steadily though, and even as Tord tried to decide whether or not to call a medic, he gasped slightly and snapped back to attention.

  
“Tom? Are you alright?”

  
He didn’t look at Tord immediately, instead appearing to take a deep breath and exhale before replying, “Yeah… sorry.” He looked up, LED pupils meeting natural with a nervous flick.

  
“What happened?” Tord’s tone at least was calm, but he could see the way Tom was quickly and covertly glancing around the room; he appeared disoriented, which was strange considering they had spent the evening here, not to mention many other occasions.

  
“Uhhhh, dunno, maybe I dozed off? I’m really exhausted,” he said, punctuated with a stifled yawn.

  
“Well, that will happen when you don’t get proper rest. Do you think you can sleep now?” He was met with an immediate nod, and they left the lounge together. But Tord couldn’t help but notice the slight step Tom kept behind him, followed by a moment of hesitation at the handprint lock outside his door, as though he was unsure how to approach it. “Let me know if anything does happen, alright?” He asked before Tom’s door could slide shut, catching it with one hand.

  
Tom nodded, his usual scowl set into his face as though it had never left. “Just tired alright? Can I go now?”

  
“Of course. Goodnight Thomas.” The door closed, and Tord turned away. Well, at least thus far, Tom was probably fine. Simultaneously though, something felt very off in his manner, the way he spoke, the hesitance at practices he’d done for years. He hummed to himself, pulling a network device from his pocket and bringing up the surveillance for Tom’s apartment. He could keep an eye on the Brit anyway, and if this strange behavior continued confront him about it. After all, what were friends for?


	21. The Attendees

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a sequel to Chapter 11, The Execution, so go back and read that if you haven’t!
> 
> A different perspective on an end.

Matt walked down the dusky street, hands shoved in his overcoat and face buried in a scarf, protecting the metal elements from the cold. He had grown accustomed to guarding what was left of his face carefully, even as so little damage was left that could be done. The night was quickly falling, with only a few people out here and there in what was a relatively new neighborhood to the ginger.

  
There was a little crowd gathered outside an electronics shop; five or so people, all staring intently on something playing in the preview screens. Matt walked closer, along his way, then stopped when he saw a very familiar logo play out across the screen. No, it couldn’t be…

  
He stopped, watching as the Red Army logo burned on a fallen flag, and the mandatory broadcast (as the screen was so helpfully telling him) switched to a shot of a large crowd and a stage, on which people in British army uniforms stood at apt attention.

  
Matt’s heart dropped. He hadn’t realized today was the day. He drifted closer to the window in morbid curiosity. Of course the execution of the Red Leader would be public, probably broadcast throughout the world. The dull roar of the crowd trapped inside the lcd screen reminded everyone of the real triumph. The world had won.

  
Of course Tord would be up there, but Matt had been hoping desperately not to see Tom. When the army disbanded, and so many of the soldiers had been given new identities and homes across the continent, he had assumed Tom had simply been sent to a different region but was at the very least safe. Apparently, this was not so.

  
Turning his attention away from Tom, Matt took note of Tord’s every detail, trying desperately to remember this. The authorities seemed to have been unable to have taken his robot arm off, as it was bound tightly behind him; but he was still in uniform, and stood proudly despite his bindings. Obviously they wanted him to be recognizable. Suddenly a memory of a time before all this flashed by, a glimpse of an undamaged groups of kids, where none of them could possibly do wrong and the world was already theirs.

  
Matt hadn’t even realized the execution was beginning until Tord began to speak. Final words only a leader could compose flowed quickly and easily off his tongue. Later Matt would be unable to recall even a word; but he was spellbound, as much as the small gathering on this cold evening around the television, as much as the crowd present to hear the Red Leader’s words first hand.

  
There was an audible gasp (although Matt could not tell if he took part in it) as Tord pumped his robotic fist, freed from restraints, high in the air in a final rebellious cry. A second later, he was crumpled on the ground. Just like that, the Red Leader who had so certainly held the world in a breathless trance was dead.

  
Everyone let out a single, collective breath, held back as though there could have been some other outcome. Then, slowly, the camera shifted to the remaining leader on stage. Matt turned away.

* * *

  
People couldn’t read Tom. Edd could. And what Edd saw simultaneously angered and confused him.

  
Edd was of course in the safety of his own home during this eventful , a small apartment tucked safely away from what powers Red Army had possessed and prying eyes. He was used to the solitary life now, after cutting all ties with his old acquaintances, and being forced to live on the run for what ended up as years. And of course now he watched as the pair mounted the stage, doomed to death; why wouldn’t he?

  
During Tord’s speech Edd had not afforded even a glance at Tord; there was too much between them, he could not handle the spur of raw emotion that would come from seeing his old enemy and friend. But Tom: Tom had simply stood, listening, watching Tord, and why? That was what Edd could not figure out. He could never understand why Tom left to join him in the first place, for that matter. Tom had had some excuse of course, when they inevitably reunited, but just as Edd could read his emotions, he could tell when there was something hidden away. And now it seemed Tom may take that secret to the grave.

  
Suddenly Tord was dead, and Tom was left all alone on that stage, staring at a body with dull green eyes. Edd pulled himself out of his reverie to watch, as the organizer addressed Tom; final words, and what could he say?

  
People could never read Tom. Edd always could. Most people would say the blue leader kept a neutral expression. Edd would say later that Tom’s face flashed from sad and angry to apathetic to amused, all in a fraction of a second, and perhaps even without him noticing. And when that sarcastic word fell from his mouth with a smile, shortly followed by his entire being crashing to the stage, it was all Edd could do not to say something angry himself. As it was several choice curses fell from his tongue, as he watched the broadcast cut to the news, and life seemed to restart. The world would go on without two creators of mass destruction. The world would go on happily, recovering and moving on from the trigger-happy communist and the ska-loving outcast and the mess of changes created by the pair.

  
Edd rubbed the tears off his face, and got up to feed Ringo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not super proud of this one, it feels rushed :/  
> Feel free to leave requests, and thanks for reading!


	22. Au Revoir

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom has some news for Edd.

“Edd, can we talk?”

  
Edd looked up from his comfortable seat on the couch; he and Matt had been watching some cartoon or another, wasting away the afternoon. Tom had wandered in and out for the past couple hours, disappearing to return with a drink, or a book, all the while an uncomfortable air about him. “Sure, what’s up?”

  
Tom glanced at Matt, then back to Edd. “Maybe in my apartment?”

  
“Oh- sure, um… we’ll be right back, okay Matt?”

  
Matt mumbled a response, eyes glued to the television. Apparently he was more involved in this than the others had been. Edd rolled his eyes, following Tom out of his apartment and into the hall.

  
To his surprise Tom stopped him halfway between their rooms, one hand resting uncomfortably on his neck and the other in his jeans pocket. He wasn’t wearing his signature hoodie today, instead a plain grey shirt. “Listen, I have something to tell you, I figured Matt would figure it out on his own later anyway, so-“

  
“Oh just say it Tom, you’ve obviously had something on your mind today. Are you alright?” Edd asked, with just a hint of skepticism in his tone.

  
“Yeah, fine, just…” Whatever this was, Tom sure had built it up in his head as some big event. He glanced down, shoving his other fist in his pocket only to withdraw it quickly when it ran into his phone. “Ah… I’m moving.”

  
“Oh.” Edd was silent for a moment, then laughed. “I thought you were gonna tell me you’re on the run from the authorities or something, but that’s cool! Where are you headed then, further downtown, or closer to the old place?”

  
“No no, I mean like… moving. It’s going to be another country, I don’t know which yet but soon-“

  
“Wait, hang on; another country?! And why don’t you know where?”

  
Tom seemed to cringe at Edd’s tone, as though this is what he had feared when coming to deliver the news. “It’s for a job? And they haven’t told me where yet, only that it’s out of Britain.” When Edd didn’t cut him off, he hurried to continue, “It’ll be somewhere in the EU, that’s all I know.”

  
“What kind of job?”

  
The answer was immediate, rehearsed. “Director, for a fairly large scale operation.”

  
“Oh…wow.” Edd didn’t seem to know how to respond.  He knew that Tom had always wanted to pursue a directing career, for movies or television, but he had heard nothing of it in recent years.   “That’s awesome, why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

  
“I didn’t know that I actually had the position until today. Besides, I didn’t want to tell you and stress you out if it was just going to fall through.”

  
“I mean it stresses me out that you didn’t tell me but… congrats! You deserve it.” Edd clapped a hand on Tom’s shoulder with a smile, and the pair began to walk back to Edd’s apartment. “We’re sure going to miss you around here, so you have to call!! I guess you can’t tell me what kind of movie it is, huh?”

  
“Of course I’ll call. And hah, no, that’s a secret; I’m not sure when I’m allowed to tell.” Tom had returned Edd’s smile, but his shoulder was stiff under Edd’s hold. “But don’t worry, you’ll be the first to know.”

  
“Thanks Tom.” They entered Edd’s home, Matt not even looking up as they settled on the couch together; and as they fell into silence, Edd couldn’t help but think, that the expression on Tom’s face was a little grave for someone watching a cartoon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a oneshot from mine and my good friend @graciousmaximus’s au, in which for some reason or another her robot Tom and my cross-dimensional Blue are roommates! If you’d like more context on either of our aus (especially theirs bc _holy cow it’s so good_ ) feel free to ask on our blogs or find robo Tom @rftommo-au and Blue @future—tom!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads up there’s a panic attack in here

Tom usually slept straight through the night, the only thing that could disturb his sleep mode were nightmares of course or certain proximity alarms. So he was surprised to be jolted awake at five am, an hour before his alarm, and feel the strangest sense of panic. After a quick reality check, realizing he was in bed and there was no immediate danger or lingering nightmarish thoughts, he had to dig through his os for a moment to realize what had triggered his emergency systems; a scream.

  
Tom got up immediately, fully aware that the only other occupant of the apartment should have been sleeping as well, and that scream was distinctly one of being hurt. As he strode out of his room, he had the quick thought that he needed to be prepared in case there was an intruder; he glanced around the room for a moment, before grabbing one of his blankets.  
Tom crept carefully to the doorway, before whipping around the corner and holding his makeshift trapping device at the ready-only to drop it to his side in confusion. No one was in this room, besides its rightful occupant, Blue. Blue was sitting up in his usually messy bed, but there was no discernible damage to his person, at least from here. “Blue?”

  
Blue flinched, but didn’t respond to Tom. That… wasn’t right. Actually, the more Tom stared at him, the more he realized something was very very wrong with him. Blue’s arms were clenched tightly around him, one fist wound up in the blanket carelessly and the other pressing bright red marks into the skin uncovered by his t-shirt. He stared straight ahead, through an unblinking visor, and as Tom tried to use his sensors to discern his life signs, his heartbeat was phenomenally fast, far faster than healthy for an adult male.

  
Tom hesitated, not sure what to do. He hadn’t ever seen something like this, Blue seemed very distressed and unresponsive, not something Tom was equipped with the knowledge to deal with. Quickly he retreated into his os, doing a quick internet search for Blue’s symptoms. A panic attack, websites responded, and a bad one at that. His search terms shifted to solutions for said attack, all the while darting back out to check that Blue’s condition had not changed; but he didn’t stir, besides perhaps a slight shaking in his shoulders.

  
Several minutes and about twenty articles skimmed later, Tom figured he had at least a safe idea of what to try. He walked closer to Blue, slowly, and attempted to get his attention once more. “Blue? Are you alright?”

  
He didn’t flinch this time, but definitely shook slightly in response; as Tom got closer he watched Blue blink once, sweat beading on his brow. Climbing onto the bed, he sat right in front of Tom, trying to line up with his eyes. “Hey, it’s okay. Everything’s okay, right Blue?” Blue blinked once more, but still didn’t seem to be really looking at Tom. Tom hummed anxiously, trying to remember the instructions in order. “It’s pretty early for you to be awake, hmm? Is there anything I can get you?”

  
Blue muttered something indistinct, curling into himself more tightly.

  
“Alright, Blue, I’m pretty sure you’re having a panic attack. Can you focus on my voice please?” Most of the websites had said not to touch someone who was panicking, and Tom was sure hoping that was correct; every one of his instincts was screaming for him to give Blue a hug. “I’m right here, and I’m not going to leave, okay?” Tom began to ramble, keeping his voice steady and familiar. “It’s about five am, I think it’s supposed to be sunny today, maybe we can go for a walk or something later. The snow’s almost all melted, but I’m happy it’s nearly gone, I think spring is more beautiful. Maybe those birds with the nest out front will come back!”

  
It took several minutes of empty, calm words until Blue gasped, suddenly seeming to come back to himself. He stared at Tom, getting an idea of where he was most likely- and began to cry.

  
“Oh no, don’t do that!” Tom fussed, holding out his arms in the offer of a hug. Blue stiffened, but allowed Tom to hold him; and Tom didn’t hold him too tightly, keeping the embrace loose. “The website said you need to take deep breaths, can you do that?”

  
“What?” Blue murmured into Tom’s shoulder, before nodding slowly. “Yeah,” he whispered.

  
“Okay great, I can count if you’ll follow.” Blue nodded again, and Tom began to count. “Deep breath in, one two three four…hold it…and breathe out, one two three four five…Alright, again.”

  
They stayed like that for several minutes, Tom dutifully counting and Blue slowly calming down. He finally pulled back from Tom, waving a hand in dismissal. “Sorry, that was dumb.”

  
“Don’t say that, it’s not dumb.” Blue only laughed and wiped his face, even as Tom frowned at him. “Why were you upset?”  
Blue hesitated. “It’s nothing, just a nightmare.”

  
“Blue, I get nightmares too and I don’t get that upset. What happened?”

  
“I…” Blue grabbed a square of blanket, not looking at Tom anymore. “It really doesn’t matter.”

  
“Stop that!”

  
Blue looked up startled. “What-“

  
“Stop doing that thing! Where you say it doesn’t matter!” Tom actually looked angry, and it was shock more than anything that kept Blue quiet. “I’m asking you because I care, which means it does matter. You matter to me Blue! And when you say that’s not true it hurts, because I care so much and you don’t try at all.” Now it was Tom’s turn to cry, tears beginning to leak from his goggles. “I just want to help, and you never ever accept it! I just want you to be happy.”

  
He sobbed, while Blue just sat and watched in shock. He had no idea how to comfort Tom, he still didn’t necessarily understand why he was so upset in the first place. But if he was the cause of this outburst, well, he couldn’t say he didn’t feel sorry for it. Blue placed a careful hand on one of Tom’s, taking note of the strange texture once again. “I’m… I’m sorry, Tom.”

  
Tom sniffed, wiping his eyes with his other hand. “Why don’t you let me help?”

  
“I just…” Blue hesitated for just a moment, before continuing, almost frantically pressing the words onward, “I’m not used to it, I don’t understand why you’re trying to help me.”

  
“Because I care about you!”

  
“No no, I know,” Blue cut in, shushing him gently, “but you know what it’s been like for me right? Usually when people ‘care about me’ it’s because they think I’m someone else, or think they can use me for something they need- people don’t care about me, Tom. And that’s fine, but I’m used to that- so I don’t understand when you offer me help because there’s no reason for you to.”

  
Both Toms stared at each other for a long moment, each calming down for their own reasons. “I care because you’re my friend Blue,” Tom finally said.

  
“I know, but I don’t understand. I’m sorry.” They sat in silence for a time, Blue resorting back to twisting the blanket between his hands and Tom playing with the hem of his shirt. Finally Blue broke the silence. “I had a nightmare that I was back in a different world, a pretty bad one. I don’t think I could handle going through that again, that’s probably why I panicked so badly.”

  
Tom looked up at him, digital eyes wide. “What kind of world?”

  
“Not bedtime story material, let’s just say that.” Blue looked up, dropping the twist of sheet he had been fooling with. “Sorry for scaring you, and waking you up I guess.”

  
“It’s fine! I want to be here for you.” Blue nodded, cheeks a little red, perhaps from embarrassment. “Are you okay now?”

  
“Yeah, now that I’m awake.”

  
“That’s good!” Tom smiled, prompting a slight smirk from Blue as well. “Do you think you can sleep more? How many hours did you get?”

  
“Uhh I plead the fifth on that one, I’d rather not go back to sleep. It’s morning anyway, isn’t it?”

  
“Not by your standards,” Tom muttered, but he hopped up off the bed anyway. “If you want to get up now, then we have to make breakfast! Come on!”

  
Blue climbed off the bed more slowly, pulling on a pair of jeans discarded on the carpet nearby. “Alright, that’s fair. What’s on the menu today boss?”

  
“Whatever you want!”

  
“Mmm.” He hesitated but a moment, readjusting his goggles from their disalignment during sleep. “Pancakes?”

  
“Sure.”

  
“…are you going to fill them full of food colouring again?”

“No promises!”


	24. Riptide

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone chose their sides of the war for their own reasons, but that doesn’t mean there’s no ties left between them. Edd runs into an old friend in an unlikely situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for torture, canon divergence and uhhhh drowning (but y’all know me it’s pretty soft just be safe)
> 
> There’s also definitely more context than I was able to provide in the fic for everyone’s relationships, just know Tom and Edd never really had much beef with each other :)

The Resistance base was abuzz with excitement today, as word had spread of a very important capture now being held within the base. As a general, Edd had heard many of the rumours floating around from his own men, but he was one of the few who knew the actual truth of the matter.

  
Interrupting his slow circuit patrol of the base, Edd hesitated for a moment; he could hear voices up ahead, coming from the interrogation rooms. He was aware, of course, that there had been a very important capture for the Resistance; the Red Army second-in-command. He was also aware that the second-in-command happened to be Tom, his old friend and roommate. The chances that Tom was being questioned were high, after all, the information he must hold would be incredibly valuable to the Resistance’s success. The chances that they could actually get any of that info from him seemed much lower, if Tom was at all loyal to the cause he was helping to lead. Still, it would be nice to see his old friend again, even on opposite sides of the war.

  
Edd turned down the hallway, following the sound to a room about midway through this small wing. As with all the interrogation rooms, there was a one way mirror so the proceedings could be surveyed from outside. He stopped in front of this, peering inside. Sure enough, there was Tom, tied to a chair and speaking to a soldier. Their voices were muffled, but Edd could still easily hear them.

  
“You’ve been very resistant to our methods thus far. I do hope today will end differently.”

  
“You and me both,” Tom replied, testing his restraints carefully. Whatever had happened prior to this session must have influenced the way he was being held today; he was sitting backwards in a short chair, with his hands tied in front of the chair’s back. His legs had been bound to the chair’s legs in a strange fashion, assumedly to keep his feet from touching the ground.

  
Edd watched from the window, silent. Had they already been questioning him? He had only been captured yesterday, they were sure moving quickly. There were two soldiers visible in the room, and a third one walked into view from the back of the room, pushing a basin full of water propped on a platform. He positioned it in front of Tom, who didn’t seem either surprised or worried at this development; perhaps a little unimpressed, if anything. “This it?”

  
“Yes; we are prepared to accelerate our methods, if this is unsuitable to you.”

  
“Nah, I’ll let you go at your own pace.”

  
The soldier rolled his eyes, motioning for one of the others to take place next to Tom. They leaned the chair forward, propping it up so it leaned against the basin and Tom’s head was forced uncomfortably close to the water. “We’re going to ask you questions, the sooner you answer truthfully the sooner this ends.

  
“What is the Red Leader’s true identity?”

  
“I dunno, your mom probably.”

  
This apparently was not an acceptable answer to the soldier, who thrust Tom’s head beneath the surface of the water. Tom didn’t struggle, looking fairly relaxed; but when his head was finally allowed back up, he gasped. “Where is the largest Red Army base?”

  
“Nope,” Tom muttered, shaking his head a bit as if to knock the water off. Back under the water he went.

  
Edd was getting more and more nervous watching this; each time he went under, the soldiers were holding him longer. The effects of oxygen deprivation were almost certainly impacting him now. Each time he came up, Tom hesitated a little longer before replying in an attempt to get more air, but the soldiers seemed to catch on, and once even dunked him back when he had hardly a chance for one breath. Surely these efforts were inhumane, and it made his gut twist to watch, especially with his personal ties to the victim. Wasn’t torture supposed to be a weapon of the enemy?

  
He glanced towards the door; as a higher officer, of course he had the access codes to enter any of these rooms; but by defending Tom, he would certainly be thrown under suspicion for sympathizing with the enemy. The decision took only a split second.

  
The door clicking open distracted the attention of the guards; only the first moved forward to salute Edd however, and the other two continued their task. “General Gold, sir.”

  
“Yes, what are you doing with this prisoner?”

  
The soldier seemed almost confused by the question. “Interrogating him sir, under the commander’s orders.”

  
“Yes, well, I did not hear it was under any means necessary.”

  
“No offense, but I don’t think this is under your jurisdiction. If you have a concern you can take it up with the commander.” In the background, the soldiers had dunked Tom under again; this time he actively struggled, trying to pull himself up for air.

  
Edd nodded, slowly. Then, before the officer could react, he punched him across the jaw, sending him sprawling across the floor. His next move was to confiscate his gun, aiming a kick to his head in what would hopefully knock him out before being able to recover.

  
The other soldiers had noticed almost immediately, and the one holding Tom dove for his communicator while the other came for Edd. Edd knocked his gun against this soldier, landing a clean blow to their chest before twirling to block another strike; only the one guard seemed to have been holding a gun, thankfully, if firearms were shot in this small a space the bullets could hit anyone.

  
There was a good near minute of struggle; obviously these soldiers were unprepared for an actual attack. Edd only sustained a couple decent punches, managing to keep the other two on their toes until another was presumably knocked out; the original guard hadn’t stirred either.

  
Edd stopped for a long moment; he was suddenly horribly aware of the silence where previously he could have heard Tom struggling. His eyes darted to him; obviously the soldier who had been holding him under had left to fight off Edd, but he had left Tom submerged and unable to pull himself out. And now Tom was hanging limply in his restraints, head bent beneath the surface of the water.

  
With a final shove at the last soldier, knocking him into a wall and at the very least stunning him, Edd dashed to Tom’s side, yanking the chair back to a sitting position. Tom’s head came out of the water, knocking back against his chest. Water dripped from his hair and face, and he made no movement at Edd’s touch, not even breath.

  
“No no no, come on,” Edd muttered, propping Tom up with one arm and thumping his other hand against his back, gun discarded on the floor. One, two, and Tom coughed; three, and a flood of water came out of his mouth, spraying both himself and Edd before Edd could get out of the way. He choked, spitting up more water weakly. “Come on Tom, you’re alright,” Edd murmured, but before he could move to try to untie his friend, there was the quick pounding of feet down the corridor. His head spun towards the noise, fully aware that if he was caught he could easily be executed for treason. Just as the main door into the room swung open, Edd got up and dashed towards the other end of the room, slamming a door open and darting into the small closet it hid.

  
He slammed and locked the door, heart pounding as he listened to the voices of those who had entered the room. They hadn’t appeared to have seen Edd’s escape, or perhaps that just wasn’t the priority; Edd could still hear Tom hacking as the water fled his lungs. It sounded as though there was a sizeable number of people now in the room, discussing the situation in hurried tones. He could only hope that they didn’t lock up Tom too securely, or worse, continue the interrogation.

  
There was a sudden stilling in the room, besides Tom’s gasps; Edd heard a quick slap against the floor, as soldiers fell into line, and a quick chorus of “Red Leader!”

  
Red Leader?! Edd tried to press against the crack between the door and the wall, to see the situation unfolding, but he could see nothing but dim light. Sure enough though, Edd heard the telltale voice of the Red Leader; and beneath the effects provided him by his helmet, Tord’s voice. “Why are you all just standing around? Untie Blue.”

  
There was a scurry, and a slight break before Tord’s voice spoke up again. “You made quick time of the guards in here.”  
“They were already incapacitated, sir.”

  
“Really? Not by any of you?”

  
The soldiers all muttered a negative response of some kind. A silence fell on the room, besides the shifting of bodies within. Although, one of those noises seemed to be getting awfully close to Edd’s hiding place…

  
Edd stiffened, leaning away from the door as far as he could within the enclosed space; he heard a metal clack, before the doorknob was tried. It was locked of course, but no large amount of force would be necessary to break it down.

  
“Sir, Blue isn’t breathing clearly-“

  
“Why are you telling me that? The point of the rescue is to get him out of here, not stand around discussing details. Out of the way.” Edd relaxed, letting out a sigh of relief as footsteps faded away from his door. “Come on, let’s get moving.”

  
There was some muttering, coupled with the footsteps now hurrying out of the room. Edd waited an extra minute before daring to unlock and leave his safe haven, and quickly darted out of the interrogation cell. There had definitely been cameras within that cell, not to mention the soldiers whom he had certainly not killed as witnesses. Tord’s intrusion was more than welcome for more than just one reason. With any luck, he would have just enough of a distraction to sneak out of the base before his treasonous acts were identified.

—

“Sir, there have been reports of wanted man Edd Gold seen on the outskirts of our territory. We were told to notify you immediately.”

  
“Good, I want him brought in as soon as possible.”

  
“Well, that’s just it sir… we found a note, allegedly left by the criminal; he is requesting to seek amnesty.”

  
“No. My earlier orders still stand.”

  
“Wait a tec, come on.” Tom stepped in now, sending an irritated glare towards Tord. “Can’t we hear him out?”

  
“Not a chance, it’s probably part of some scheme by the Resistance. Not to mention, we don’t know how implicit he was in your capture.”

  
“How about not implicit at all, I really doubt-“

  
“Thomas please, not now.” Tord addressed the recruit once again, turning his back on his second in command. “If you catch him on our territory again, arrest him and bring him here for questioning.”

  
The general saluted, before hurrying off. Tom chuckled, and Tord’s attention was turned towards him once more. “Bring him in for questioning, huh?”

  
“You won’t let me hear the end of it if I don’t.”

  
“Very true.”

—

Edd was brought in, safely captured about a week later. He came in without a struggle once he was told he’d have an audience with Red Leader, although he was delivered with a strip of duct tape over his mouth. Apparently he had been some level of annoying to his arresting officers.

  
“Okay Edward, you wanted a meeting, you have it.”

  
Edd glanced around the small office; Tord was still worried about privacy to some degree concerning his past, and the only place without any official surveillance was his own office space. “Well this is fairly underwhelming. You’d think being the leader of an army you’d have a nice crib- oh wait, is this a communism thing?”

  
“Edd.” Tord rolled his eyes, although it wasn’t really perceptible under his helmet. “Why are you stalling?”

  
“Where’s Tom?”

  
“He was informed of your arrival, he should be here shortly.”

  
Edd huffed, obviously a little put out. “Is he okay?”

  
“Of course. Why?”

  
“I mean, after the whole torture thing-“

  
“How do you know about that?”

  
Tord’s tone was suddenly stony, to which Edd frowned. “Because I was there? I’m the one who knocked the guards out, I was hiding in the closet.”

  
“A likely story. I would rather you not lie, it won’t help your case.”

  
“What? No I really was there, once I realized they were torturing him I wasn’t just gonna leave him-“ Edd shook his head, frustrated. “Look, long story short, I tried to help Tom escape, now I can’t go back to the Resistance, and I was hoping for a pardon so I could live _somewhere_ safely.”

  
Before Tord could reply, the door swung open, and Tom entered. He grinned when he saw Edd, taking his place beside Tord casually. “So, where are we in the peace talks?”

  
“Edd’s just trying to convince me that he was more involved with your escape than your imprisonment.”

  
“Oh cool, thanks.”

  
“No, not cool; he’s obviously trying to use this to get intel for the Resistance.”

  
“Ah.” Tom stared at Edd for a moment, eyes narrowed through his goggles comically. “Edd, are you trying to take advantage of this situation for espionage?”

  
“No!”

  
“Great, sounds fine to me.”

  
“Tom-“ Tord sighed. “The point being, if no one can back up your story, I have no reason to believe you.”

  
“That’s not fair, Tom was the only one there, and he was so out of it he probably didn’t even recognize me-“

  
Tom snapped his fingers suddenly, dragging both their attentions back to him. “You know what, I think I do remember something. I thought, y’know, my oxygen-deprived brain was making it up, but when I was coughing up a lung at the end there I thought I heard Edd.”

  
Edd and Tord both looked stunned for a moment, before Edd scrambled to back him up. “Yeah, that’s because I was there, I was talking to you and trying to make sure you were alright!”

  
“Right, that makes a lot of sense!”

  
“Why did you run when we came in then?” Tord asked.

  
“I thought you were resistance soldiers, and I’d get caught for treason. Besides, does it really matter? I was wanted on your side too.”

  
“Wow, look at all these valid points proving your innocence, it’s almost like you really _are_ innocent.”

  
“Yes Tom, I don’t need your comments.” Tord muttered, obviously frustrated. “You have enough inside information to prove your innocence for now, but if you want amnesty, you’re going to have to earn it. I don’t care where you work, just not as a soldier and not in any high security areas for the time being.”

  
Edd looked like he was about to protest, but Tom shot him a look that had him correcting his words quickly. “-fine, I can do that.”

—

“I don’t want to work for him,” Edd grumbled as Tom led him down the hall, passing by recruits slowly.

  
“It’s not that bad, he obviously cares a little if he doesn’t want you in the army.”

  
“Yeah, I guess.” They walked in silence for a time, before Edd spoke up again, “Did you actually remember any of that?”

  
“Nope, not a bit. Did you actually save me?”

  
“Yes!”

  
Tom laughed. “Well then, thanks. Tord thought it was just an undercover officer who had risked exposing themselves.”

  
“Nope- wait undercover?”

  
“That shouldn’t be surprising, no doubt the resistance has soldiers infiltrating our forces too.”

  
“Oh, I guess.”

  
Taking note of Edd’s silence, Tom continued, “I wouldn’t worry about it, if you’re thinking about getting found by the Resistance or something. The spies are usually more intent on upper level intel, not to mention security around here is pretty tight, we don’t just let people go easily.”

  
“I mean, you ended up getting caught.”

  
“Yeah, but that was because of other reasons, not the least of which Red being an idiot.”

  
“Ah.”

  
They were nearing a guard checkpoint, as they entered the dormitory wing. Tom stopped for a moment to talk to the officer, who gave Edd a suspicious once-over when he saw him but gave Tom what he requested and allowed them to move forward. Tom passed Edd what he had taken; a key. “We’ll set you up with a guest room until you get assigned a dorm. I’d recommend staying in there for now, until Tord sends out a memo saying you don’t need to be arrested on sight. Someone will be along tomorrow to help assign you to a job.”

  
They paused outside a door with numbers on it matching those on the key. Edd unlocked the door, making a face at the plain room inside. “Guess I can’t hope for better lodgings after getting a job, huh?”

  
“Probably not, so enjoy the night.” Tom clapped him on the shoulder, turning to go back the way they had come. “I gotta get back to work, don’t want his Highness getting too miffed.” Edd laughed, prompting Tom to turn around and send him a mock salute. “Welcome to Red Army.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
